(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Health)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Westmoreland County, PA) The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) recently confirmed that an individual from outside of Pennsylvania tested positive for measles and may have exposed others at the New Stanton Service Plaza located on the westbound Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County on August 17th. 

The DOH advises that anyone who may have been exposed at that service plaza, including at the Burger King, Starbucks, Sunoco, 7-11, restrooms, and dining area, to monitor for symptoms of measles and check their status of vaccinations.

The people who are most-at-risk for infection are people that are not vaccinated, and getting vaccinated is the best protection from the measles virus, and after two doses, it provides 97 percent lifetime protection.

Measles infects the lungs and spreads when a person who is infected breaths, coughs, or sneezes.

It is a highly contagious virus that stays in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours, even after the person that is infected leaves the area. 

People who are experiencing symptoms or believe they were exposed to measles, should contact their provider of health care or call the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s toll-free hotline at 877-724-3258.

Residents are encouraged to monitor for symptoms, which include cough, fever, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, which is followed by a rash that starts on the head or face and then spreads downward.

These symptoms can start 7 to 21 days after the exposure to measles, and the MMR vaccine is the only way to prevent measles.