Health officials in the Bay Area advised residents on Friday to be aware of three places that were potentially exposed to a case of measles that was detected in a Santa Clara County resident.
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department and Alameda County Public Health Department held a news conference in San Jose to give guidance to anyone who was at the public locations, urging them to monitor for symptoms for up to three weeks, check their vaccination status, and contact their doctor if they fall into certain high-risk categories.
The locations potentially exposed were the H-Mart at 1710 Oakland Road in San Jose on May 21 between 7:15 p.m. and 9 p.m.; a Newark Starbucks at 35040 Newark Blvd. on May 23 between 11:45 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and Trader Joe’s in Milpitas at 1306 Grand Mall Parkway on May 25 from 4:45 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Anyone at those locations during those times should check their vaccination status with their health care provider or at myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov.
The public health directors for both Santa Clara and Alameda counties urged anyone who was at the businesses during those times to monitor for symptoms, which could appear anytime between one and three weeks after exposure.
Who is most at risk?
Symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis causing red eyes, and a runny nose, according to Alameda County director of clinical guidance and communicable disease controller Dr. Kavita Trivedi.
Santa Clara County acting public health director Dr. Sarah Rudman said that anyone who has a weakened immune system, is pregnant, has an unvaccinated toddler, or is unvaccinated themselves, should contact their doctor if they were at one of the identified businesses during a time of potential exposure.
“Measles is a disease that is one of the most contagious diseases that we know about,” Rudman said, adding that the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent the spread of the disease.
The person who tested positive is an adult Santa Clara County resident who recently returned from international travel. They did not require hospitalization and were recovering at home as of Friday.
Health officials said they did not believe there to be any lingering threat of exposure at any of the businesses beyond the initial times identified.
It is the first case of measles in Santa Clara County since 2019. There was an Alameda County resident who had the disease in 2024, prompting a similar warning at the time in that county.
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