The New York State Department of Health is sounding an alarm after an Australian tourist confirmed to have measles visited several locations in the city and surrounding area.

From 16 February, this person stayed in hotels in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Orange County; was part of an Oasis Bible Tour group that went to the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan; and visited the Watchtower Educational Center in Putnam County.  Eventually, the patient sought treatment on 21 February at an urgent care center and an emergency room in Orange County.

This is a problem because the US has had problems with anti-vaxxers in recent years.  Some baseless conspiracy theories suggested that the measles vaccine caused autism in children, and even though the claims have been thoroughly debunked the false information has taken root in some communities.

Measles is very contagious for people without immunity to the disease, with a 90 percent infection rate for nonimmunized people who come in contact with an active spreader.  With a life span of two hours in the open air, the virus is spread through coughing, wheezling, and sneezing and finds a happy home in people noses and throats.  Initials symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis (pink eye), or runny nose, and can appear in 10-12 days after exposure.  After that, it's red, bumpy rash time.