A person confirmed to have measles visited the Five Guys restaurant at 1400 I Street Northwest this month while they were contagious, D.C. Health announced Monday.
The person, who was not publicly named by authorities, visited the Five Guys location near the McPherson Square Metro station between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on April 5. D.C. Health didn’t detail where the person had come from or how they contracted measles.
One dose of the MMR vaccine has a 93% efficacy rate while two doses have a 97% efficacy rate in preventing measles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
People who have not had any doses of a measles vaccine, either the MMR available in the U.S. or measles-only vaccines available abroad, are at risk. Anyone possibly exposed who fits that category should watch for symptoms until April 26 or three weeks after their most recent exposure, D.C. Health said.
About a week to two weeks after being infected, measles patients start showing symptoms including high fever, cough, a runny nose and red or watery eyes. About two to three days after that, white spots may appear in the mouth, and three to five days after the first set of symptoms, patients develop a rash, often accompanied by an increased fever, the CDC said.
The CDC warns that about 20% of all unvaccinated measles patients end up hospitalized.
D.C. Health said anybody who might have been exposed and those who are not immune should contact their health care provider or the agency at (844) 493-2652. People born before 1957 and those who have received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine do not need to take action.
