San Diego County health officials recently confirmed the second measles case of 2024 with possible exposures in Encinitas and Carlsbad.
The two cases, the other of which was an unimmunized infant who had traveled overseas, are the first measles infections reported in the county since 2019, officials said in a March 31 announcement. The most recent case was reported in a 47-year-old county resident who also had recently traveled overseas but was not related to the first case.
Officials did not announce whether the person had been vaccinated.
The possible exposures occurred from March 22 to 30 at grocery stores, restaurants, medical offices and religious institutions between Encinitas and Carlsbad, county officials reported.
“Measles is a very contagious disease that can be spread easily by coughing, sneezing, or being in the same room with an infected person,” Dr. Ankita Kadakia, the county’s deputy public health officer, said in a news release.
The two recent cases are among five in the state reported between Feb. 3 and March 23, according to the California Department of Public Health. So far nationwide, there have been 97 cases with 59% of those in unvaccinated people, Centers for Disease Control figures showed as of March 28. The national number this early in the year surpasses the total 53 cases for all of 2023.
“The best way to prevent measles is by getting the measles vaccine,” Kadakia said in the county’s news release. “With measles outbreaks occurring in several countries, it is very important that all international travelers get vaccinated. Infants between 6 and 12 months of age who travel should get one dose, and travelers over 12 months of age should get two doses at least four weeks apart.”
Local measles exposures occurred at the following local sites, according to county Public Health Services:
March 22
Encinitas: Naked Cafe
288 N El Camino Real, Suite C
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Encinitas: Ralphs grocery store
125 N. El Camino Real
10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
March 23
Encinitas: Leo Mullen Sports Park
951 Via Cantebria
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
March 24
Encinitas: Trader Joe’s grocery store
115 N. El Camino Real
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Encinitas: Kingdom Hall Jehovah’s Witness
1821 S. Camino Real
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
March 25
Carlsbad: Tinleaf Fresh Kitchen
6985 El Camino Real No. 108
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Encinitas: Ralphs grocery store
125 N. El Camino Real
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
March 28
Scripps Coastal Medical Center Encinitas
477 N El Camino Real
8:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
March 29-30
Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Emergency Department
354 Santa Fe Drive
4:10 p.m. March 29 to 1:30 a.m. March 30 2024
“Anyone who was at any of the specific locations and at the dates and times listed … should watch for symptoms and call their health care provider if they show any signs of the disease,” Kadakia said in the county’s news release.
The CDC issued a health advisory on March 16 about an observed increase in global and U.S. measles cases. Health officials have attributed the increase to lower vaccination rates.
“Declines in measles vaccination rates globally have increased the risk of measles outbreaks worldwide, including in the United States,” the CDC stated in its advisory. “Measles cases continue to be brought into the United States by travelers who are infected while in other countries. As a result, domestic measles outbreaks have been reported in most years, even following the declaration of U.S. measles elimination in 2000. Most importations come from unvaccinated U.S. residents.”
