Officials: 2nd measles case confirmed on LI

Officials have confirmed a second case of the measles on Long Island.

The Nassau County Department of Health says this case may be linked to the other case in the county reported earlier this month.

As News 12 reported, officials say the first measles case in Nassau came from a person who flew in on an international flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Officials believe the second person with measles may have been employed at a place that the first person visited.

"Just being in the same room with somebody who's contagious with measles if you're not protected can cause measles," says Nassau Health Commissioner Lawrence Eisenstein. "So we're exploring if that's what happened here in the second case."

Nassau health officials won't confirm to News 12 where the person was employed because they say it's out of their jurisdiction.

However, officials say anyone who visited the Mineola, Hempstead and Jamaica train stations between Sept. 11 and Sept. 14 may have been exposed to measles.

Other locations include trains and shuttles to Penn Station between those stations, at Penn Station or at Noches de Columbia Restaurant in Mineola.

Anyone who may have been exposed and those who have symptoms are urged to call a doctor.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran released a statement: "The county's disease control team is working non-stop with New York State Department of Health to investigate this case and determine the potential exposures."

She went on to say that the "single best way to protect our children and the entire community from serious diseases is through recommended vaccinations."

"The science remains clear. Vaccines are safe, effective, and life-saving," she said.
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