Public health officials in New Jersey have traced at least two new measles cases back to an unvaccinated patient from Bergen County. This individual may have unintentionally exposed numerous patients and health care workers to this contagious disease across two hospitals and an urgent care center earlier this month. The two newly diagnosed carriers of the measles virus, both of whom were also unimmunized, had reportedly participated in ‘close contact’ with the primary patient. It currently remains unsettled whether these two transmissions occurred at any of the aforementioned health facilities, however, they now join the initial patient in quarantine enforced by health authorities.
The patient at the origin of this health event is a child who had recently returned from an overseas trip. Unbeknownst to them, they exposed staff members and patients at Englewood Hospital a fortnight ago and may have continued to transmit the virus at Hackensack University Medical Center and an urgent care center in Fort Lee. While an initial announcement concerning a potential exposure at Englewood Hospital did not mention the visits to the urgent care facility and Hackensack, subsequent updates confirmed that the child spent nearly four hours at PromptMD Urgent Care in Fort Lee a day before their visit to Englewood.
Health department spokesperson, Dalya Ewais, indicated proactive measures were undertaken to trace and alert those possibly exposed at the urgent care center and Hackensack with assistance from facility staff and local health teams. Thanks to diligent action from infection prevention and pediatric clinical teams, the patient was immediately placed in a negative pressure isolation room once transferred to the Hackensack University Medical Center, hence avoiding further exposure. Statistics given by Ewais reveal that at least 121 individuals have been cited as having potential contact with the original patient.
These incidents come on the back of a concerning measles outbreak in West Texas that has claimed one life and infected at least 124 individuals. Health department dossier as of Feb. 21, however, reveals these as sole measles incidents in New Jersey. Meanwhile, details about the original patient, including their foreign travel history and consequent activities post-return in the state, have been kept confidential by the Health Department.
The patient’s severe symptoms began to manifest as a rash on Feb. 9, a day following their visit to the urgent care. Despite being virtually eliminated in the U.S. courtesy of mass vaccinations since 1963, the threat of measles resurfacing remains due to growing resistance towards vaccinations, often based on debunked theories linking vaccines like MMR to autism.
Source: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/health/2025/02/26/measles-outbreak-nj-bergen/80489020007/