La Quinta residents call for vaccinations as health dept. warns of measles exposure
Valley residents who may have been exposed to measles are calling for vaccinations after county health department officials urgently warned of possible measles exposure.
Riverside County health officials issued a release Friday that said an infected 20-year-old Santa Barbara man visited multiple La Quinta locations on Memorial Day Weekend:
La Quinta Estates, 77270 Loma Vista, La Quinta (May 24) Lavender Bistro, 78073 Calle Barcelona, La Quinta (May 24) Silver Rock Golf Course, 79179 Ahmanson Lane, La Quinta (May 25) Desert Willow Golf Resort, 38-995 Desert Willow Drive, Palm Desert (May 26) Petco, 78720 CA-111, La Quinta (May 26) Chevron, 79513 CA-111, La Quinta (May 26)
News Channel 3 reporter Jake Ingrassia spoke with the owner of Lavender Bistro, who said the staff there sanitized everything from the menus customers touch to the trash cans to ensure the highly contagious disease doesn’t spread.
Jan Talbott was using the Chevron station where officials warned of possible exposure. He said he’s concerned for his community that’s now been exposed to measles.
“People think of childhood diseases as no big deal because many of us my age had many of them — and we lived and we’re okay — but it can be fatal,” Talbott said. “It’s not to be trivialized.”
Talbott had his immunization recently checked, which he got nearly 70 years ago. It’s still protecting him today.
“Lasted a long time,” Talbott said. “I wish my tires would last that long.”
Another La Quinta woman called on those without the vaccine to get one.
“Now (the disease) can be controlled,” Carole Lorca said. “It’s almsot eliminated through vaccines. So people should do it! I don’t quite understand why people dont.”
Valley medical experts said vaccines are the best protection against the virus.
“The biggest concern with measles right now is people aren’t getting vaccinated,” said Steve Herman, a registered nurse and infection preventionist with Desert Regional Medical Center. “This is a vaccine-preventable disease.”
Experts said the key signs and symptoms to look for include a high fever and a rash that starts at the hairline and goes through the face and down the rest of the body.
Those who seek medical attention related to measles symptoms should contact their physician or urgent care, but must notify them first so they can take appropriate precautions to make sure other patients are safe.
There are currently no confirmed cases of measles in Riverside County.
You can reach Jake on Twitter, Facebook or email him at jake.ingrassia@kesq.com.
