HANOVER, N.H. (WHDH) – New Hampshire public health officials on Tuesday urged residents to check their immunity status and monitor for symptoms after a resident tested positive for measles.
The state Department of Health and Human Services in a statement said the resident was unvaccinated and likely contracted measles after coming into contact with an international traveler who visited Hanover, New Hampshire late last month.
The visitor later tested positive for measles and has been linked to another confirmed measles case in Vermont, officials said.
Measles is highly contagious and can be particularly dangerous for babies and young children, according to the CDC. It can lead to symptoms including high fever, a cough, and a rash.
New Hampshire officials first warned about potential measles exposure due to the international traveler on June 28. In addition to Hanover, officials said the traveler was also present on the campus of Dartmouth College before returning to their home country.
On Tuesday, officials in New Hampshire shared a new list of places that the newly infected person with measles visited while they were infectious:
- July 1, 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Peppermint Patty’s, 25 Road Round the Lake, Grantham
- July 1, 5:30-11:30 p.m.: Sierra Trading Post, 200 S Main Street, West Lebanon
- July 3, 9:00-11:30 a.m.: Dartmouth Co-op, 21 S Main Street, Hanover
- July 5, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Dartmouth Co-op, 21 S Main Street, Hanover
- July 5, 11:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.: ClearChoiceMD Urgent Care waiting room, 410 Miracle Mile, Lebanon
- July 6, 8:00-10:30 a.m.: ClearChoiceMD Urgent Care waiting room, 410 Miracle Mile, Lebanon
- July 6, 9:30 a.m. – July 7, 1 a.m.: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Emergency Department, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon
Officials said anyone who was at the listed locations on the specified dates and within the specified time frames may have been exposed to measles.
Officials said anyone who was exposed should review their vaccination or immunity status. Depending on when they were exposed, people who are not immune to measles could receive preventative treatment, including vaccination or a measles antibody injection, according to the New Hampshire Department of Public Health.
The department said people who are severely immunocompromised, even if they were previously vaccinated against measles, could also still receive an antibody treatment to avoid a measles infection.
People are considered immune to measles if they were born before 1957, if they have evidence of measles immunity, if they have laboratory confirmation of a previous measles infection, or if they have been vaccinated against the virus, according to the CDC.
New Hampshire officials said residents can contact the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health Services at 603-271-4496 with any questions about their measles immunity status.
Officials urged people who were exposed to measles to contact their healthcare provider to determine if treatment is recommended.
Anyone with additional questions or concerns should contact the Division of Public Health Services 603-271-4496.
There have been 159 confirmed cases of measles in the US to date in 2024, according to the CDC. That figure is up from last year’s total of 58 and already marks the highest number of annual measles cases since 2019, when experts documented 1,274 cases.
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