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Australian tourist may have exposed New Yorkers to measles

Tourist may have brought measles to New York
An Australian tourist with measles may have exposed people in New York 01:26

The New York State health department is warning people across three counties they may have been exposed to measles earlier this month, CBS New York reports. Officials said an Australian tourist with the measles spent time in several hotels and one of New York City's most popular cultural destinations.

The infected tourist started his Manhattan visit at a La Quinta Inn on West 71st Street on February 16 and stayed until the 19th. Anyone there at the same time may have been exposed to the virus. Officials also said he visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and anyone there on February 16 or 17 may have also been exposed.

From there, the man went to the Watchtower Educational Center in Putnam County on February 19 and stayed at the Best Western hotel in Brooklyn that night. Then, the man went to the Comfort Inn in Goshen, Orange County until the 21st, when he checked into the Excel Urgent Care in Goshen before moving to the medical center in Middletown – potentially spreading the virus to anyone at those locations up to two hours after leaving.

Joao Sores, a tourist from Portugal, stayed at La Quinta Inn and overlapped with the infected tourist. He has not been vaccinated against measles.

"We eat here every day, every single day — since Saturday until today," he told CBS New York late last week.

The health department said the risk of developing measles is very low, especially for people who have been vaccinated.

Symptoms of measles include fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose. Officials said symptoms usually appear 10 to 12 days after exposure. Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed should monitor their health through the end of February.

The health department said to prevent spreading the illness, anyone who may have been exposed and who has symptoms should contact their doctor before going in for care.

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