Health Highlights: Feb. 12, 2015

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

San Francisco BART Commuters May Have Been Exposed to Measles

Transit users in Northern California are being told they may have been exposed to the measles by an infected passenger.

A person diagnosed with the measles rode Bay Area Rapid Transit trains between Lafayette and San Francisco during the morning and evening commutes Feb. 4 through Feb. 6, according to Contra Costa County public health officials, the Associated Press reported.

The person — believed to be a LinkedIn employee — also ate at the E&O Kitchen and Bar on Feb. 4, officials said Wednesday.

They warned that unvaccinated people who had contact with the infected person are at “high risk” of developing the measles, and should seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms such as high fever, runny nose, coughing and watery red eyes, the AP reported.

A person infected with the measles is contagious for several days before and after they develop the rash associated with the disease.

It’s “highly unlikely” that vaccinated commuters are at risk of contracting measles, officials said, and people born before 1957 are considered immune.

In related news, Nevada health officials said Wednesday that anyone who ate last week at Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino may have been exposed to the measles, the AP reported.

Measles was confirmed this week in a worker at the restaurant, the Southern Nevada Health District said.

Since a measles outbreak traced to Disneyland was first reported in December, the disease has been confirmed in more than 100 people in California, with additional cases in several other states and Mexico, the AP reported.

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New Law Aims to Reduce Suicides Among U.S. Veterans

A bill meant to reduce suicides among American veterans will be signed into law Thursday by President Barack Obama.

The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act establishes a pilot program to help veterans as they leave active duty and a website that offers
veterans information about mental health services, the Associated Press reported.

The bill also creates a three-year pilot program to help Veterans Affairs recruit psychiatrists by offering them student loan repayments, and requires the VA’s suicide prevention programs to be evaluated each year by a third party.

The bill was approved by Congress with broad bipartisan support, the AP reported.

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