NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville health officials are responding to the city's second confirmed case of measles and say they do not believe the general Nashville population is at risk.
The Metro Public Health Department says the case involves an unvaccinated person who had traveled internationally. That person went to an urgent care center on November 3 after feeling sick, and testing confirmed measles that same day. The person is now isolating safely at home while the health department works to notify people who may have been exposed.
Officials are asking people to know their vaccination status and to be aware of symptoms, especially anyone who may have been exposed.
"We are optimistic that this person did seek care early and has been obeying the guidance of isolating at home, and we at this time do not feel that the general Nashville population is at risk," Joanna Shaw-KaiKai, medical services director for the Metro Public Health Department, said.
Contact tracing underway
Health officials say their response system kicked in as soon as the case was suspected. The urgent care center contacted public health, a specimen was sent to the lab and the diagnosis came back that same day. From there, teams began notifying locations connected to the case and identifying potential contacts. Those people can then be offered post-exposure prevention when appropriate and told what symptoms to watch for.
The Metro Public Health Department says its team has been working with the Tennessee Department of Health and community partners to figure out where this person went and who may have crossed paths with them. The goal is to reach those people quickly enough that they can take steps to protect themselves.
"We have the public health structure, infrastructure in place to support that, and a very quick turnaround time, and that's working with our community partners also," Shaw-KaiKai said.
Potential exposure locations
The Metro Public Health Department's Vaccine Preventable Disease team has confirmed that the case was in public during their infectious period over the past week. The potential exposure sites stretch from Arrington to Brentwood, Antioch and Nashville. Specific areas where this case was in public include:
- October 30 and November 2 — New Approach Jewelry School, 8242 Malachi Lane, Arrington, TN 37014
- October 31 between 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. — Westin Hotel Nashville L27 Halloween Party, 807 Clark Place, Nashville, TN
- November 1 between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. — Remedy Lash and Co, 7024 Church Street E, Brentwood, TN 37027
- November 1 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. — Subway, 330 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN 37027
- November 1 between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. — Sprouts Grocery Store, 5821 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN
- November 2 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. — The Joint Chiropractic, 782 Old Hickory Boulevard #111, Brentwood, TN
- November 3 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. — CareNow Urgent Care, 5304 Cane Ridge Road, Antioch, TN 37013
What to watch for
If you were at one of these locations during the listed exposure window, health officials want you watching for symptoms for the next 21 days. Those symptoms can include a high fever, red or watery eyes and eventually a rash that typically starts near the head and moves down the body.
Health officials are reminding people that measles is highly preventable through vaccination. If you're unsure whether you're vaccinated, contact your healthcare provider or Metro Public Health.
Were you at one of these seven locations during the exposure windows? Watch our full report for the complete timeline and hear directly from Metro health officials on what to do next — and reach out to me with your questions or concerns at Eric.Pointer@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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