200 might have been exposed to measles

A guest at a Feb. 9 party was diagnosed with it, officials say

More than 200 people who attended a Chinese New Year celebration were exposed to the measles, state health officials warned yesterday.

In the second confirmed case in the islands this year, an Aiea woman was diagnosed with the measles, Health Department officials said over the weekend. The woman was one of about 210 attendees at a Chinese New Year party Feb. 9 at Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant at 111 N. King St. Officials are warning partygoers that they might have been exposed. They said the woman was highly contagious after her Feb. 5 return from Europe.

The case is not related to the measles diagnosis for a 10-month-old baby who arrived in Honolulu from San Diego on Feb. 9. The child had been exposed to measles in San Diego.

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People attending a Feb. 9 party at a Chinatown restaurant might have been exposed to the measles, the state Department of Health warned yesterday.

About 210 people attended the Chinese New Year party hosted by C.Q. Yee Hop & Co. at Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant at 111 N. King St.

Among the guests was an Aiea woman who was later diagnosed with the measles. She did not know she could be spreading measles when she attended the party, because she had not yet seen a doctor, according to health officials.

Any partygoer who develops a fever and cough or runny nose until Feb. 27 should stay home, immediately consult a physician and mention the possible contact with measles, according to the state warning.

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection spread by direct contact with respiratory droplets dispersed when an ill person coughs, sneezes or speaks.

"Most people in Hawaii are immune to measles either through vaccination or having had measles in the past, so outbreaks of measles are rare," said Dr. Paul Effler, state epidemiologist. "Still, because not everyone is immune, and the disease is so infectious, it is possible that someone at the party may have become infected."

Health officials advised the partygoers to contact their doctors if they are not sure they are immune. People are considered immune to measles if they were born or living in the United States prior to 1957, have two documented vaccinations, or laboratory evidence of immunity or doctor-diagnosed measles.

Health officials did not identify the Aiea woman, but Keiki Mora told KITV on Friday about her measles diagnosis. She was treated at Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi on Feb. 10.

Health officials said the woman was highly contagious for the week after her Feb. 5 return from traveling in Italy and the Netherlands.

Measles is not spread through food, and there is no ongoing risk of measles from eating at the restaurant, according to the announcement.

It is the second confirmed case of measles in the islands this year. This case is not related to the measles diagnosis for a 10-month-old baby who arrived in Honolulu from San Diego on Feb. 9. The child had been exposed to measles at a San Diego clinic in January. San Diego has 11 confirmed cases of measles since late January, according to news reports.