Another measles case near Tri-Cities. Possible exposures at this restaurant

Walla Walla County has confirmed a second case of measles this year, both of them in unvaccinated people.

The second patient, like the first announced April 4, was exposed during international travel.

The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health is watching for possible new cases after the second patient was at a Walla Walla restaurant while possibly contagious. People can spread the virus for four days before a rash appears.

People who were at Le Dang’s Mongolian Grill from noon to 3 p.m. on April 20 could have been exposed, according to the Department of Community Health. Their symptoms could appear from Monday, April 27, through May 11.

The Department of Community Health is also notifying people who could have been exposed to the patient in private settings.

This is the 39th measles case this year in Washington state, with three people hospitalized but no deaths. Most were unvaccinated. One person was vaccinated and the status of five other patients was not determined.

There have been no cases reported this year in Benton and Franklin counties, but cases have been reported in the Eastern Washington counties of Stevens, Kittitas, Grant and Spokane, in addition to Walla Walla.

Measles were declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.

Measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease that causes fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.

The virus can become airborne when an infected person coughs or sneezes and then live in the air for up to two hours. The virus may also be spread by direct contact with the nose or throat droplets of an infected person.

If one person is infectious, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected.

Complications from measles can happen even in healthy people who contract the disease, but those at the highest risk include anyone who isn’t fully vaccinated against measles, including kids too young for the vaccine, and those who have weakened immune systems.

People who were vaccinated in Washington state can check their vaccination record at myirmobile.com.