Opera lovers who caught a matinee of La Boh\u00e8me at the Metropolitan Opera House last month later received emails from the Met Opera letting them know that one of their fellow attendees had measles, the opera house has confirmed.<\/p>\n
The Met Opera sent a longer, more detailed email to those seated in the person\u2019s immediate vicinity for the April 25 performance, in accordance with guidance from the city health department, said Jen Luzzo, a spokesperson for the Met Opera. The letter advised recipients to get vaccinated against measles if they weren\u2019t already and to keep an eye out for potential symptoms, including a fever and rash.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think you or your relatives have measles, stay home and call your healthcare provider or local health department right away,\u201d read the notice, which the Met Opera shared with Gothamist. A shorter notice emphasizing the importance of vaccination, which was also shared with Gothamist, went out to the other attendees.<\/p>\n
It typically takes 11 to 12 days for symptoms to potentially appear after exposure to the measles, and the virus can be contagious up to four days before a rash shows up, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n The person who went to the opera with the measles also ate at two Manhattan restaurants and was treated at health care facilities in the borough. City officials said the person is an unvaccinated adult, who tested positive for the virus after international travel.<\/p>\n The health department opted not to issue a broad public alert disclosing the dates, times and locations of these potential measles exposures, instead asking each individual business to communicate with those who might have been affected. City health officials said they are taking this approach because of the low overall risk to the general public due to high vaccination rates and the businesses\u2019 ability to notify employees and patrons.<\/p>\n \u201cThere continues to be no reports of secondary cases or local transmission despite the infected person visiting multiple locations,\u201d Chantal Gomez, a spokesperson for the city health department, said Thursday.<\/p>\n