A person with measles may have exposed others to the highly contagious disease in Ocean County this month, the New Jersey Department of Health announced Friday evening.
The unidentified person developed symptoms after international travel to Israel and was in Ocean County between Oct. 13 and Oct. 21, the department said in a statement.
A Lakewood health clinic first reported the measles case, and CDC confirmed the infection this week.
The department of health said the person visited the following locations in Lakewood:
* Schul Satmar, 405 Forest Ave. from Oct. 13 to Oct. 21 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
* Eat a Pita, 116 Clifton Ave. on Oct. 15 between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
* CHEMED Health Center, 1771 Madison Ave. on Oct. 17 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and Oct. 18 between 10:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
"The Department recommends that anyone who visited the location listed above during the specified date/time should contact a health provider immediately to discuss potential exposure and risk of developing the illness," the release stated.
"Anyone who suspects an exposure is urged to call a health care provider before going to a medical office or emergency department. Special arrangements can be made for evaluation while also protecting other patients and medical staff from possible infection."
If anyone was infected, they could develop symptoms by as late as Nov. 11, the department said.
State health officials said they are working with the Ocean County Health Department to identify any other potential places the person could have visited and will update the public if necessary.
Symptoms include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes and it can cause more serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis, according to the department of health.
People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person and anyone who has not been vaccinated or has not had measles was at risk if they were exposed.
"Two doses of measles vaccine are about 97 percent effective in preventing measles," state epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan said in the release. "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."
Earlier this month, New York Department of Health officials warned that New York and New Jersey residents may have been exposed to measles after a traveler returning to the U.S., also from Israel, was confirmed to have the disease.
The state Health Department said there has been an increase in measles cases in Israel in recent months.
Chris Sheldon may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.