Measles may be spreading across the nation just as doctors had feared. Locally, from fast food restaurants to one of the area’s largest churches, known sites continue to be named (see the current list below).
Measles is extremely contagious. Symptoms typically begin one to two weeks after someone is exposed to an infected person. The virus can live in the air and on surfaces for two hours after the infected individual has left the area.
Health officials say that the latest has the disease, and at this time, the investigation does not appear to be connected to the Kansas outbreak of measles.
Another case of the disease has been confirmed that was not originally connected to the recent outbreak across the Kansas City area.
The Kansas City Health Department is also confirming a previously reported Kansas City case was not related to current Kansas outbreak of measles. And that’s not good news in case you were wondering.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is working with the KCHD to notify people who may have been exposed to the highly contagious disease.
Greg Lakin, the chief medical officer for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, says many of the cases involve infants and that the current outbreak started when an infant picked up the virus in Asia. That’s the case in the latest development.
That infant then returned to a Johnson County day care.
County and state health officials have declined to name the day care for privacy reasons. They told the Star they’re confident they were able to track who went in and out and notify them of the measles exposure risk, so there was no reason to alert the general public, as they have with more than a dozen other sites where people may have been exposed.
A recent case at the University of Kansas Medical Center, the region’s largest hospital, may also have exposed hundreds to the disease.
Other known locations where exposures may have occurred include the following:
- Barnes & Noble – Oak Park Mall
- Subway – E. 51 St.
- Cosentino’s Price Chopper – Brookside
- Laundroplex – 575 NW 68th St, KCMO
- QuikTrip – 601 NW 68thSt, KCMO
- Pleasant Valley Baptist Church (church and lobby)
- Chuck E. Cheese’s at 15225 W. 134th Place, Olathe
- Walgreens at 7500 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Mo.
- Chick-fil-A at 12087 S. Blackbob Road, Olathe
- AMC Dine-In Studio 28 at 12075 S. Strang Line Road, Olathe
- Aldi, 15290 W. 119th St.
- Payless Discount Foods, 2101 E. Santa Fe St., Olathe
- El Potro Mexican Café, 602 N. Pearl St., Paola
- Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas (emergency department), 5808 W. 110th St., Overland Park
- Budget Coin Laundry, 798 E. Main St., Gardner
- YMCA swimming pool and locker room, 21400 W. 153rd St., Olathe. Entire facility
- Bath & Body Works at Legends Outlets, 1803 Village W. Parkway, Kansas City, Kan.
- Crazy 8 at Legends Outlets, 1843 Village W. Parkway, Kansas City, Kan.
- Orange Leaf, 11524 W. 135th St., Overland Park