California health officials are warning of potential measles exposure across several counties after an unvaccinated passenger who had the infection traveled through the state on Amtrak trains and thruway buses.
The alert comes as the United States experiences its largest measles resurgence in more than 30 years, a rise driven in large part by increasing vaccine hesitancy.
The California Department of Public Health said the traveler made multiple transfers while passing through at least six counties: Alameda, Butte, Kern, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Joaquin.
According to officials, the passenger arrived in Los Angeles on an Amtrak train on 10 September. The traveler then continued to Bakersfield and went on through Stockton, Oroville, Sacramento and Emeryville before leaving California for Denver.
People who rode the same trains or buses, along with those present at stations along the route on the specified dates, may have been exposed to measles, health officials said.
The state is coordinating with federal officials and local health departments to locate and alert people who may have come into contact with the virus.
“This case, along with previous measles outbreaks in California this year, serve as reminders of the importance of vaccination against measles,” assistant state public health officer Rita Nguyen said in a statement. “The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and provides long-lasting protection against measles. Vaccination protects both our own families and those who are too young to be fully vaccinated.”
Pennsylvania is facing the nation’s most serious active measles outbreak. The state Department of Health said Wednesday that 731 cases had been confirmed across 38 counties so far this year. At least four people have died from measles-related illness in Pennsylvania.
As transmission continues, Pennsylvania is requesting emergency support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State officials have warned that they could withdraw the request unless the CDC publicly acknowledges the four measles-associated deaths, recognition that US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr previously directed the agency not to make.
As the outbreak’s death toll has risen, Kennedy delivered the keynote speech at a Washington DC conference hosted by the anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense, which he led for nearly a decade.
He mentioned Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak only once during his address, instead promoting unfounded concerns about vaccines while health experts are urging people to get vaccinated against measles.
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“In our country we care about rare illnesses and deaths. We care about every child who dies from measles. They get headlines,” he said. “I’d ask you to care about children who are dying or suffering or being injured by vaccine injuries.”
California’s alert comes after another recent mass-exposure incident involving Amtrak.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that a person with measles traveled by Amtrak from Sedalia, Missouri, to Chicago, Illinois. More than 250 people in Jackson county alone were subsequently identified as having been exposed to the virus.
The Trump administration also revealed this month that it had changed how measles deaths are counted during the outbreak. The CDC now uses data from the National Center for Health Statistics, which tracks mortality trends over time. The reason for the change remains unclear.
