Baby with measles may have exposed others

A 9-month-old baby who was infected with measles may have exposed others last month at Macy's in Roosevelt Field, Nassau County health officials said yesterday.

The infected child, whose name and residence were not disclosed, was in the store Jan. 20 from 3 to 10:30 p.m., health officials said. The measles virus can remain airborne and active for three hours.

The officials say the baby had traveled recently to Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, in countries where measles infections are still common.

Measles, which was wiped out in the U.S. by 2000, is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread by direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions. Symptoms generally appear in two stages; first, a runny nose, cough and slight fever, lasting two to four days, and second - a red, blotchy rash - beginning on the third to seventh day.

Health department spokeswoman Mary Ellen Laurain said anyone with measles-like symptoms should contact a health care provider or nearby emergency room before seeking care. This allows medical personnel time to clear vulnerable patients out of waiting rooms to prevent the spread of measles.

The measles vaccine is recommended for anyone born after Jan. 1, 1957, "who does not have a history of physician-diagnosed measles or a blood test confirming measles immunity," Laurain said.