2 relatives of UC Berkeley student contract measles, officials say
Two relatives of a UC Berkeley student with measles have also contracted the disease, Bay Area health officials said Friday.
The relatives, identified only as men in their 20s and 30s, voluntarily quarantined in their Contra Costa County homes after the student was diagnosed, Contra Costa Health Services said in a news release.
Officials have not identified any other people exposed to measles by those cases, the statement said.
“People who aren’t immunized are very likely to get measles if they are exposed to the virus,” said Erika Jenssen, communicable disease programs chief with Contra Costa Health Services, in a statement. “This really underscores the importance of everyone getting vaccinated.”
About two weeks ago, Berkeley city officials warned that scores of commuters and other residents may have been exposed to measles in early February after the UC Berkeley student with the virus attended classes and took public transit.
The student, who was not identified, took a Bay Area Rapid Transit train from his home in Contra Costa County to the college campus to attend class, officials said. In Friday’s statement, health officials said the student “probably became infected during a recent trip to the Philippines.”
Symptoms, which can begin one to three weeks after exposure, can include high fever, watery red eyes and a rash that often occurs on the person’s face and neck a couple days after the fever starts before spreading to the body, health officials said.
Twitter: @MattStevensLAT
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