ST. LOUIS – St. Louis health leaders on Tuesday provided new details about the potential measles exposure at the St. Louis Aquarium last week. Staff at the city health department are looking over sign-in sheets at the aquarium and notifying anyone who may have been exposed to the measles, including a group of children.
“It was a field trip, and we only got the full list of participants of folks that signed into the aquarium late yesterday,” Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, director of the City of St. Louis Department of Health, said. “So, that communicable disease team is going through that list and prioritizing children and specifically this field trip that we were made aware of.”
She said the last recorded measles case in the City of St. Louis was in 2023, but said the increase of cases across the country this year is alarming, especially with younger children.
“Nearly 10% of Missouri kindergartners are not vaccinated. Currently, 25% of St. Louis precocial school children are unvaccinated,” Dr. Hlatshwayo Davis said.
She said symptoms begin within 7 to 14 days which means it is possible to see more exposures.
“Anyone who experiences a high fever, cough, or running nose, red watery eyes or a rash that begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body should immediately isolate and contact their care provider,” Hlatshwayo Davis said.
The city’s health department is working to contact anyone who was possibly exposed. Hlatshwayo Davis said the state believes exposures are contained to the St. Louis Aquarium on April 30 and a nearby restaurant.
“In their mind, based on the story that had been delivered through the Illinois State Department, that this sounded like the majority and if not all of the exposures were around the St. Louis Aquarium and this one unidentified restaurant,” Hlatshwayo Davis said.