Measles is in the air, and its effects are just not limited to India, but now even New Jersey needs to prepare themselves for a second possible outbreak of measles. Officials at New Jersey are on an alert to face the outbreak of the disease because of an infected patient who travelled via an airline to the local airport on Christmas Eve. The state's Department of Health stated that the infected passenger had arrived in the B terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport on a flight from Brussels and the official even has a doubt that the flyer may have visited other areas of the Airport. He arrived on Monday at the Airport of the state. They also mentioned that anybody who may have visited the Newark Liberty airport from afternoon to 4 pm could have been exposed to Measles which is a highly contagious disease. If the passenger has infected anyone can take upto mid-January to show the symptoms of Measles. MR Vaccine: What Are Measles and Rubella? Why Parents Should Vaccinate Children Against These Diseases. 

The authority has asked everyone who believes they have been exposed to measles to call up their doctors before they visit them at the hospital. They have also mentioned that people who are unvaccinated are more at the risk of succumbing to the disease. State epidemiologist Dr Christina Tan said: “Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has not had measles is at risk if they are exposed. 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 immunisations,” according to CBS NY

One infected with the measles virus suffers from high fever, red, watery eyes, cough, runny nose and a rash that spreads throughout the body. The virus also weakens the immune system and may lead to complications such as blindness, encephalitis, diarrhoea, lung infections, etc. These complications can often cause measles-related deaths, one-third of which occur in India.

This is the second time New Jersey is facing the ire of this disease. An outbreak in Ocean County that is ongoing has reportedly infected 33 people, as per reports by New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr Shereef Elnahal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 29, 2018 10:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).