Unvaccinated Child Visiting Martha’s Vineyard Diagnosed with Measles

An unvaccinated child who was visiting Martha’s Vineyard was diagnosed with measles last week, authorities are now reporting.

Officials of a town on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, known as the playground of the rich and famous—not to mention a constant Obama vacation spot—are warning residents and visitors to monitor themselves and their children carefully for the next few weeks.

The town of Oak Bluffs on the island’s northern side reported that a child who was visiting from another state was diagnosed last Wednesday with the disease. It is likely the child was infectious from June 8 to June 17.

Authorities released a list of the places the child visited while on the island.

The list of known dates and times of possible exposure are as follows:

• West Tisbury Public Library — June 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Aquinnah Library — June 9 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and June 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Martha’s Vineyard Airport Laundromat in West Tisbury — June 12 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sharky’s Cantina in Oak Bluffs — Tuesday 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Ryan’s Family Amusements in Oak Bluffs — Tuesday 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

As seen earlier this year, when nearly 200 cases broke out from exposure at several Disney theme parks in California, measles is very contagious and can be spread easily and quickly.

With an incubation of up to 14 days, measles can cause symptoms such as high fever, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis which occur “several days before the development of a body rash.”

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston, or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.