NJ Department of Health alerts residents of potential exposures from two unrelated measles cases, urges individuals to stay up to date on vaccines

NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is alerting residents about potential exposures associated with two unrelated confirmed cases of measles in non-NJ residents.

Individuals – especially parents, guardians, health care providers, and caregivers – are urged to be aware of the symptoms of this highly contagious virus and to stay up to date with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shots.

Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin. The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet. Measles can also cause serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and can lead to miscarriage in pregnant people, premature birth, or a low-birth-weight baby.

NJDOH recommends that anyone who visited the following locations during the specified dates and times may have been exposed and should contact a health care provider immediately to discuss potential exposure and risk of developing the illness.

Location 1: Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 175 Traveling Southbound from New York Penn Station to Washington, DC

• Date & Time: March 19, 2025, between 7:30 PM and 1:30 AM (March 20).
• Potentially exposed individuals, if infected, could develop symptoms as late as April 10, 2025.

Location 2: Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, Emergency Department 1 Capital Way, Pennington, NJ 08534

• Date & Time: March 22, 2025, between 5:15 PM and 1:30 AM (March 23)
• Potentially exposed individuals, if infected, could develop symptoms as late as April 12, 2025.

As of the time of this release on March 28, no additional associated cases in New Jersey have been identified.

Those who may have been exposed or who suspect illness should call their health care provider first before arriving at any facility so that necessary infection prevention precautions can be taken to protect other patients and staff.

NJDOH is working in collaboration with local health officials on ongoing contact tracing and efforts to notify people who might have been exposed and to identify additional exposures that may have occurred.

The virus spreads easily through the air when someone coughs or sneezes and can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area. People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person.

Individuals at risk include those who have not been fully vaccinated or have not had measles in the past.

NJDOH encourages all residents to stay up-to-date on routine vaccinations and especially recommends that New Jersey residents planning to travel, regardless of destination, are up to date on MMR shots. MMR vaccine, administered in two doses, is safe and the most effective way to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. The vaccine is also effective at preventing complications caused by these highly contagious diseases.

NJDOH is also requesting that health care providers use every opportunity to assess for immunizations to ensure all patients are current on routine immunizations, especially MMR for children aged 12 months and older as well as respiratory virus vaccines against COVID-19 and influenza for everyone aged six months and older.