More cases of measles emerged in North County, and in Rancho Bernardo, an urgent care center shut down after a report of the illness there. NBC 7’s Artie Ojeda reports on Jan. 19, 2015.
The Sharp Rees-Stealy Rancho Bernardo Urgent Care is closed due to a suspected case of measles, Sharp Rees-Stealy tweeted.
The center, located on Via Tazon, will reopen at 3:30 p.m. Monday and the suspected measles patient has been discharged. All other departments at the location are open.
The unidentified patient came into the urgent care on Via Tazon just before 10:30 a.m. according to Sharp Health Care spokesperson Curtis Ippolito. The center closed at 9:30 a.m., Doctor Daniel Smith said, and 20 other patients were inside at the time.
The individual was seeking treatment for "measles symptoms" but Ippolito did not give specific details.
The patient was being interviewed at the center. Officials said test samples will be sent to county.
There has been no information about whether this specific individual has a connection to the outbreak that has been linked to Disneyland.
More than two dozen people in four states have contracted the measles after visiting the Disneyland theme parks between Dec. 17 and Dec. 20.
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Several people who were in the urgent care center were released after they were able to show documentation of immunization.
However "up to a few dozen" are still inside being interviewed by staff before being released, Ippolito said.
Typically, a location will be shut down for a minimum of two hours before re-opening.
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) announced Monday that there are three new possible cases of measles in San Diego County. Health officials have released locations in the North County where residents may have been exposed to the virus.
The HHSA announced they are awaiting test results to confirm the cases. If they are confirmed, the total number of cases in the county will rise to 13.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms can develop between seven and 21 days from exposure.
Early symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two to three days in, tiny white spots may develop inside the mouth. After three to five days, the distinctive rash begins to form.
Anyone who develops symptoms after being at one of the locations listed above should contact their health provider by telephone, county officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back here for more updates.
