Health Alert: Local community on alert after Indiana's first case of measles in years

An important health alert. State health officials have confirmed a case of measles in northern Indiana.

They say the individual was in Angola and Sturgis, and are warning people who may have come into contact with them.

Officials say you could be impacted if you visited the Cameron Memorial Hospital in Angola on March 30.

Or March 31 in Sturgis, Michigan -- at the San Miquel Grocery store, Holy Angels Catholic Church or Walmart Super Center.

Holy Angels Church in Sturgis holds services every Sunday drawing in dozens of people.

Last Sunday, someone from LaGrange County, Indiana walked through the doors with a case of measles.

“I never heard about that until today,” said Father Evelao Ramirez.

The Indiana Department of Health is working with local healthcare providers in LaGrange and Steuben counties to find out where else people might have been exposed to the virus.

The church in Michigan is one of the places.

Father Ramirez says it worries him he's just finding out days after the virus was there.

“All of the time people come to talk with me about many, many issues and one of them is health.”

But no one came to him this time.

He says thankfully the church was cleaned on Wednesday.

Other places vulnerable to exposure include the San Miguel Grocery and the WalMart Supercenter in Sturgis.

If you've been to any of these places, the Health Department recommends....

“To self-monitor or to monitor those that cannot self-monitor, but also verify they have received the proper vaccination, the MMR,” said Alicia Van Ee, Steuben County Health Department administrator.

Symptoms include a high fever, rash, stuffy nose and red eyes.

They can either take a week or up to 21 days after exposure to show up.

It was identified that the patient lived in LaGrange County, yet sought treatment in Steuben here at a local Urgent Care,”

This person had recently been on vacation.

Investigators found the person to be at a Chuy's Restaurant a week ago in College Station, Texas.

This is the first measles scare in our area in years.