Possible measles exposure risk at Garden City hotel
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- If you were at the Clarion Inn in Garden City on April 8, 9, or 10, state health officials say you may have been exposed to measles.
The Clarion Inn is at 1911 E Kansas Avenue. The dates and times of possible exposure are:
- Tuesday, April 8, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 9, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Thursday, April 10, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says the measles virus can stay in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours. Because it is highly contagious, anyone who was at the hotel on any of those dates and times should take the following steps:
- Understand if you are susceptible to infection. Check if you’ve received a measles-containing vaccine, like the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, have medical documentation of past measles infection, or have laboratory evidence of immunity. People who are not vaccinated and have not previously had measles are especially vulnerable to infection.
- Watch for symptoms. Monitor yourself for 21 days after your exposure. Look out for any symptoms—especially a fever and a new or unexplained rash on the skin—and contact your healthcare provider or local health department if symptoms develop.
- If you were at the hotel on:
- April 8, monitor until the end of Tuesday, April 29.
- April 9, monitor until the end of Wednesday, April 30.
- April 10, monitor until the end of Thursday, May 1.
- Avoid high-risk settings. If you are not immune, consider staying home to prevent the spread of measles. If you cannot remain home, stay away from large gatherings and persons that might be susceptible to measles, including those who are unvaccinated, pregnant women, infants, or people who are immunocompromised. If you need medical care, call your provider ahead of time and let them know you may have been exposed to measles so they can take any necessary steps to protect others from potential measles exposure.
- Talk to a health care provider. If you have any questions about your health or immunity status, contact your healthcare provider. If you are not immune to measles, a health care provider can determine whether you need treatment to help prevent or lessen the severity of the infection.
There is a measles outbreak in southwest Kansas. Since March 13, 37 cases have been reported.
The KDHE and local health departments are working together in response to a measles outbreak in southwest Kansas. Since March 13, 37 cases have been reported.
Measles spreads easily when an infected person talks, sneezes or coughs. People who are not vaccinated or lack immunity are especially at risk of becoming infected.
Symptoms
The KDHE says the first symptoms happen seven to 14 days after exposure. Measles typically begins with a high fever, sometimes spiking to more than 104°F, a cough, a runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
Tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth 2 to 3 days after symptoms begin.
The measles rash appears three to five days after symptoms begin. Flat red spots appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
Prevention
The KDHE advises the best way to prevent measles is to get the MMR vaccine. If you have had measles or have been vaccinated, your risk of contracting the disease is very low. However, a few people (about three out of 100) can still get measles even after two MMR vaccine doses if they are near someone who is sick.
For questions, contact the KDHE hotline at 877-427-7317 (option 5) or email kdhe.epihotline@ks.gov.
To get more information about measles and how to find your vaccine records, visit the KDHE's Measles Resource Hub at www.kdhe.ks.gov/measles.