Ventura County is reporting its first confirmed measles case since 2017. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can be spread through coughing and sneezing.
"Measles is the most contagious disease that we have," said Dr. Uldine Castel, Ventura County Public Health Officer. "It's incredibly efficient at transmission. The example that is used most often is if one person has measles in a room with ten people who are non-immune, nine people will walk out of that room infected."
Certain populations are at the highest risk of contracting measles.
"(The risk) is much higher in young kids, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals," said Castel. "For those people, it can be quite devastating and deadly."
The person with the first confirmed measles case returned to the county after traveling internationally.
Health officials have isolated five areas in Ventura County where people could have been exposed:
- July 26: Subway restaurant, 1900 block of North Rose Avenue in Oxnard (between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.)
- July 27 to August 1: Hacienda Furniture in Oxnard
- July 31: Cinemark Century Riverpark Theater in Oxnard (between 7:30 p.m. and midnight)
- August 1: Walgreens, 1800 block of Rose Avenue in Oxnard (between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.)
- August 2: Kaiser Permanente, 4900 block of Market Street in Ventura (between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.)
Castel said they are working overtime to try to track down as many people as possible.
But she said there are a lot of people at the five locations they can’t identify. If you were at one of the spots, you should see your health care provider for testing.
People who have been vaccinated, or were born before 1957, are almost completely immune. The concern is about those who aren't vaccinated, are undervaccinated, and children under 12 months old who are too young to be vaccinated.
Castel talked about measles symptoms.
"For some people, it is an infection that has a high fever, a rash, runny nose, and watery eyes. That's the common presentation. After a week, those symptoms can often abate. But, for people who have more difficulty with it, it can turn into pneumonia, and make its way to the brain and the central nervous system, causing inflammation of the brain. People can die. Most of that happens in the vulnerable population.
Measles has been on the rise around the country, as vaccination rates have dropped. But, in Ventura County, the percentage of kids getting the double vaccinations needed for protection in 2024-25 was 96.4%, higher than the statewide average.
The health officer says for those who aren’t vaccinated, or have kids who aren’t vaccinated, this is a wake-up call. She urges people in those categories to talk to their healthcare providers.
