SAN MATEO, Calif. - San Mateo County Health on Friday announced a potential measles exposure in Burlingame.
The organization reports that the case is an adult resident of the county who recently returned from international travel, and has been vaccinated and is isolating at home.
What they're saying:
"The individual visited a Panda Express at 1453 Burlingame Avenue in Burlingame on Feb. 23 and 24, 2026. People who were at the restaurant between 11:30 and 1:30 p.m. on those days may be at risk of developing measles, especially if unvaccinated, pregnant or immunocompromised," San Mateo County Health stated in a press release.
"If you were at this location during these times and develop symptoms, stay home and call your health care provider immediately before seeking care so they are prepared to take care of you."
What we know:
Measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that spreads over the body.
People who have been exposed to measles and remain symptom-free for 21 days are no longer at risk of developing the disease. Individuals who have been vaccinated against measles are at lower risk of contracting the virus, but should still watch themselves for symptoms.
By the numbers:
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in the year 2000, and vaccination is mandatory to attend schools and daycares, but cases have been on the rise in recent years.
There have been 1,136 cases of measles reported in the United States in 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control — about half the total number of cases (2,281) reported for the entirety of 2025.
There were 3,783 cases reported between the years 2000 and 2019, according to a 2022 study.
"Measles outbreaks are highly preventable. It’s estimated that when 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, both those individuals and others in their community are protected against measles," a Harvard Medical School article states. "But nationally, measles vaccination rates among school-age kids fell from 95% in 2019 to 92% in 2023."
The same article states that only 4% of recent measles cases in the country involved people known to be fully vaccinated.
Dig deeper:
Early diagnosis of the virus can be a challenge, as it usually takes between seven and 14 days for symptoms to show, and the earliest signs — fever, cough, runny nose — can be mistaken for other infections such as cold or flu.
Measles can also have serious complications, such as:
- Brain inflammation, which can cause seizures, hearing loss, or intellectual disability.
- Pneumonia
- Eye inflammation, and occasionally loss of vision
- Poor pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage
- Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, which is a rare and lethal disease of the brain that can develop years after the initial measles infection.
Complications are most common in children under five, adults over 20, pregnant women, and people with impaired immune systems. The virus is fatal in up to three of every 1,000 cases.
The Source: San Mateo County Health, Centers for Disease Control, Harvard Medical School