NJ Concert Exposure Raises Concerns for Measles Spread

Credit: Adobe Stock/Наталья Майшева

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has issued a health alert following a potential measles exposure at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. The exposure is linked to a non-New Jersey resident who attended a concert at the stadium while infectious. The department is urging residents, health care providers and caregivers to be vigilant, especially about symptoms of measles and vaccination status.

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours and is easily transmitted to those who are not vaccinated or immune.

Exposure Details

• Location: MetLife Stadium, 1 MetLife Stadium Drive, East Rutherford, NJ
• Date and time: May 15, 2025, from 7:30 PM to 1:00 AM (May 16)

If a person is exposed, symptoms could develop anytime through June 6, 2025.

Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes, and a flat red rash that generally appears three to five days after other symptoms, starting at the hairline and spreading downward. Complications may include pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). Among pregnant women, being infected with measles could cause miscarriage, premature birth or low birth weight.

Individuals who haven’t had measles or haven’t received two doses of the MMR vaccine are the most at risk — such as infants too young to be vaccinated and immunocompromised individuals

How to Protect Yourself:

• Make sure you’re up to date on your MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella).
• Two doses are 97% effective at preventing measles.
• If you were at MetLife Stadium during the specified time, monitor for symptoms and call your health care provider if you feel ill.
• Do not visit a medical office without calling ahead.

NJDOH is currently issuing updated guidance for health care providers and urges vaccination assessments at all routine medical visits.

Measles has gained recent notoriety in the U.S., particularly in Texas and New Mexico, and is primarily occurring in areas of these states that have very high anti-vaccine sentiments.

“The reason many parents in the U.S. have not had to worry about measles in decades is because of widespread immunization with this safe and effective vaccine,” Susan Kressly, M.D., FAAP, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), said in a statement. “However, when immunization rates drop in a community, the disease can spread, putting our most vulnerable — especially young children — at risk.”

For more information, visit the NJDOH Measles webpage or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Measles Information.