Person who arrived from Taiwan with measles visited Los Angeles area nail salon, grocery store: officials 

Health officials in L.A. County are advising that a person infected with measles recently arrived in Los Angeles and visited at least two businesses before the virus was detected. 

The person is an L.A. County resident who arrived at LAX Terminal B on Mar. 5, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. They flew in on China Airlines Flight 8, which is the airline’s Taipei-to-L.A. route, and were in the Tom Bradley International Terminal between 7 p.m. and 10:40 p.m. that night. 

Passengers assigned to specific seats that may have been exposed on the flight will be notified by local departments of health, officials said, adding that the Centers for Disease Control is assisting in the notification process. 

Two days after arriving, the individual went to a nail salon in North Hollywood called Cloud 9 Nails, which is located at 5142 N. Lankershim Blvd. On Monday, the person went to the Superior Grocery Store located at 10683 Valley Blvd. in El Monte. 

“Individuals who were at those locations on the specified dates and times may be at risk of developing measles due to exposure to this individual,” the Health Department said in a bulletin issued Tuesday.  

Exposed individuals should confirm if they have been vaccinated against measles, and if they are not, they are at risk of contracting the disease. According to health officials, symptoms typically take a week to three weeks to develop after being exposed. 

Common measles symptoms include: 

• High fever (over 101 degrees) 

• Cough 

• Runny nose 

• Red and watery eyes 

• Measles rash (appears 3-5 days after other signs of illness) 

The virus spreads easily through the air when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes, according to LACDPH. It can stay airborne and on surfaces for many hours, even after the infected person has left the area. 

“The infected person can spread the disease up to four days before a measles rash appears and up to four days after the rash appears,” officials said. “If other people breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, noses or mouths, they can become infected.” 

Public health officials stated that all people diagnosed with measles in California to date have had some sort of international travel. The last measles case in an L.A. County resident came in February 2024, LACDPH added.

Measles can be prevented with a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Officials say that most health insurances cover the cost of the vaccine; insured persons should check with their doctor or pharmacy to see which vaccines are offered.  

A list of clinics that provide no-cost or low-cost immunizations to children in Los Angeles County can be found here.

This latest measles case comes two weeks after an Orange County infant arrived in L.A. from Korea with measles and amid a nationwide outbreak in 12 states.

According to the CDC, as of March 6, 222 measles cases have been reported across the U.S. this year, and that number is likely to increase.

At least one death has been reported due to the outbreak, which was an unvaccinated school-aged child in Texas who died from the virus last month.

Another unvaccinated person from New Mexico tested positive for measles after they died; however, their official cause of death is still under investigation.