Photo: Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Liv
Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour seems to be going great so far. While the tour may look a lot like Beyoncé’s Renaissance one, the singer has kept fans entertained by bringing out her nanny (of strawberry-jam cheating-scandal fame), singing all the deep cuts, and shaking her hips … truthfully. But as of this week, one small hiccup has emerged. On Tuesday, the New Jersey Department of Health issued a warning about a potential measles exposure to the tens of thousands of concertgoers who schlepped across state lines to see the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer. According to a press release, the alert stems from one non–New Jersey resident who attended the concert while actively infected with measles. The NJ DOH did not specify what section the individual was seated in but is encouraging everyone who was present at Thursday night’s event to call a health-care provider regarding next steps. Officials say anyone who was exposed could start showing symptoms as late as June 6.
The potential New Jersey exposure is the latest in a series of outbreaks across the country, one of which resulted in the death of an unvaccinated child in Texas earlier this year. The most effective way to protect against the virus is with the MMR vaccine — a two-part dose that treats measles, mumps, and rubella. But with misinformation about vaccines on the rise, and with anti-vax evangelist RFK Jr. serving as Trump’s Health secretary, the country has surpassed more than 1,000 confirmed measles cases this year alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that means we’re shaping up for the largest outbreak in the United States in nearly 25 years — scary enough to get RFK Jr. to admit that, actually, people should get the MMR vaccine.
As for concerned Shakira fans, New Jersey health officials recommend keeping an eye out for symptoms including a high fever, a cough, a runny nose, watery red eyes, and a flat red rash that appears between three to five days after symptoms begin. Anyone who has not been fully vaccinated or has not had measles in the past is suspected to be at risk. And for her own sake, let’s hope Shakira got her MMR vaccine: She’s got a world tour to finish up, after all.
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