—START—Possible Measles Exposure At Middlesex Co. Trampoline Park | Edison, NJ Patch

The measles are highly contagious; anyone who visited the affected area should contact a doctor immediately.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — The New Jersey Health Department is warning residents of a possible measles exposure threat at a South Plainfield trampoline park last week as the worst measles outbreak in 25 years continued.

Health officials say a New York City resident with a confirmed case of measles visited the Sky Zone trampoline park on Monday, April 22 from noon to 5 p.m. Anyone who visited Sky Zone during that specific time frame should contact their healthcare professional immediately.

Potentially affected residents should call their doctor before going to the office or the emergency room, the health department urges. Advanced notice lets healthcare professionals make special evaluation arrangements to help protect doctors and other patients.

The infected person also visited River 978 Banquet Hall (978 River Ave, Lakewood) on April 23, between 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. the next morning.

Officials did not say what borough the sick resident lived in; Brooklyn and Queens currently have the highest concentration of cases of anywhere in the country, with 359 confirmed cases. So far, 14 cases have been diagnosed in New Jersey. Nationwide, 695 cases have been confirmed in 22 different states.

• Read More: NJ Measles Outbreak Grows: Where Exposure Might Have Happened

Measles are highly contagious to unvaccinated people; the virus can live in the air for up to two hours after a sick person has left the room. The vaccine has a 97 percent prevention rate, Dr. Christina Tan, state epidemiologist, said.

The MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective in preventing both measles and rubella if given according to CDC guidelines, which call for two doses beginning at 1 year. There are some generally mild and short-lived side effects, such as a rash or fever.

Symptoms of measles include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. It can also cause pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and can lead to miscarriage or other complications in pregnant women.

Federal health data show that one out to two of every 1,000 children who contract measles die from complications. One in four people who contract measles will require hospitalization.

"We urge everyone to check to make sure they and their family members are up-to-date on measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations. Getting vaccinated not only protects you, it protects others around you who are too young to get the vaccine or can't receive it for medical reasons. If you're planning an international trip, the World Health Organization recommends that adults or adolescents unsure of their immune status get a dose of measles vaccine before traveling," Dr. Tan said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned that measles "is not a harmless childhood illness, but a highly contagious, potentially life-threatening disease."

"We have the ability to safely protect our children and our communities," he said. "Vaccines are a safe, highly effective public health solution that can prevent this disease. The measles vaccines are among the most extensively studied medical products we have, and their safety has been firmly established over many years in some of the largest vaccine studies ever undertaken."
The outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from countries such as Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, where large measles outbreaks are occurring, according to the CDC, which advises measles vaccinations before traveling abroad.

Peter Marks, the director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the new numbers released Monday are troubling, especially in light of the World Health Organization's statement earlier this year that vaccine hesitancy is one of the top 10 threats to global health.

"It deeply concerns us when we see preventable diseases such as measles or mumps reemerging in the United States and threatening our communities," Marks said in a statement.

With previous reporting by Tom Davis, Patch staff