The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) has issued a health alert after it was confirmed that a visitor to the Las Vegas Strip may have spread measles, a highly contagious virus.
This case comes on the heels of recent warnings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the rise in measles cases both nationally and globally.
The person who tested positive for measles traveled from out of state and was present in Las Vegas from April 1 to April 6, KTNV reported.
During this time, the individual visited several locations where others may have been exposed to the virus.
Potential exposure sites, as identified by the SNHD, include:
- MGM Grand
- Grand Wok Noodle Bar, April 1 at approximately 5 p.m.
- International Smoke Restaurant, April 2 at approximately 5 p.m.
- MGM Fitness Center, April 2 at approximately 9 a.m.
- Cirque du Soleil’s Ka, April 2
- Food court at MGM, April 3
- Harry Reid International Airport (Terminal 1), April 6 arriving at approximately 6 a.m. and departing from the A7 – A15 Gate area at approximately 9 a.m.
The SNHD release stated that “in addition to these known locations, the individual visited various places throughout Las Vegas and Henderson.”
Health officials warned that the measles virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. Symptoms typically develop within seven to 21 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a distinctive rash that usually appears soon after the initial symptoms. Individuals can transmit measles for about four days before and after the rash appears.
During January 1, 2020–March 28, 2024, CDC was notified of 338 confirmed measles cases; 97 (29%) of these cases occurred during the first quarter of 2024, representing a more than seventeenfold increase over the mean number of cases reported during the first quarter of 2020–2023
The CDC blamed the “renewed threat” of the highly contagious airborne disease, which was completely eliminated in the United States in 2000, due to people not getting vaccinated.
“The U.S. measles elimination status will continue to be threatened by global increases in measles incidence and decreases in global, national, and local measles vaccination coverage,” the CDC said in a report.
“Risk for widespread U.S. measles transmission remains low because of high population immunity. However, because of the increase in cases during the first quarter of 2024, additional activities are needed to increase U.S. routine measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination coverage, especially among close-knit and undervaccinated communities. These activities include encouraging vaccination before international travel and rapidly investigating suspected measles cases,” it added.
