This is the skin of a patient after 3 days of measles infection; treated at the New York - Presbyterian Hospital.

The Fresno County Department of Public Health (FCDPH) announced Wednesday that it has confirmed a second case of measles linked to the recent case reported earlier this month.

Despite the risk to the general public remaining low, the department is working closely with health care providers and state agencies to identify the source of exposures and implement preventative measures.

The second case has been linked to an individual who visited the Clovis WinCo Foods, located at 396 W. Ashlan Ave. on Thursday, March 13. The individual visited the store between 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Individuals who visited the location are urged to click this link to complete a measles exposure survey. Information collected will be used to assist the department in assessing exposure and health status.

The cases are the first in Fresno County since 2023, when two individuals who had traveled outside the country tested positive for the virus.

Measles is a highly contagious, airborne respiratory illness that can linger in the air for up to an hour after the infected person leaves the vicinity. Symptoms can take seven to 21 days to develop. Expected symptom development dates fall between March 20 and April 3 for individuals who  may have been affected by the Clovis WinCo exposure.

“People are generally considered immune to measles if they have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, had a past measles infection, or were born in the United States before 1957,” a news release from the department reads. “Most adults and school-age children have been vaccinated and are at low risk.”

The release added that individuals at high risk of developing severe measles cases include infants under one year, pregnant individuals and people who are immunocompromised.

Unvaccinated individuals are at an elevated risk.

The department also urges individuals who suspect exposure not to immediately visit a health care facility, but recommends calling the facility before arrival to inform staff to take appropriate precautions to prevent further spread.

On Thursday, former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned that vaccine skepticism and the highlighting of “herd immunity” can be attributed to several nationwide outbreaks, including a major outbreak in Texas that has seen a total of 279 cases identified since January. Of those infected in the Texas outbreak, 36 patients required hospitalization and one unvaccinated school-aged child died from the illness.

Adams warned that the concept of herd immunity — which gathered publicity during the Covid-19 pandemic — poses a major risk, specifically to unvaccinated and immunocompromised individuals.

“While some may believe that abstaining from vaccination keeps them healthier or more resistant to diseases, the reality is that their ‘immunity’ has, until now, been borrowed from their vaccinated neighbors,” Adams wrote in the op-ed published by CNN. “This collective shield, known as herd immunity, is not automatic or enduring; it has been built over decades through high vaccination rates.”

Health professionals both nationally and locally recommend individuals remain up-to-date on their vaccinations, including measles.