Evo attendees may have been exposed to measles: report

Fighting game players in Las Vegas for Evo might well have been exposed to the measles while at the event. 

According to a report by Polygon, on Thursday, August 15, the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed that a visitor at the Mandalay Bay and Luxor Hotel had a case of the measles. The guest had been at the hotel from August 1 to August 6 and Evo ran between August 2-4. 

While the event took place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, warmups and meetups were at Luxor, making it possible that the infected party could have spread the disease to fighting game competitors.

A list of games at Evo 2019.

It’s unclear if the infected party was attending the world’s largest fighting game tournament or just so happened to be at the hotels during the event. The Convention Center is not listed in the report by the SNHD.

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However, that doesn’t mean that the disease could have spread. As SNHD warns in its findings, “because measles can be highly contagious, the Health District is advising people who may have been exposed to review their immunization status and contact their health care providers if they are not fully immunized against measles or have not already had the disease.”

People infected can begin to see symptoms up to 21 days after exposure. Normally, 10 days after exposure, an infected patient can develop a fever that can last up to four days and can peak as high as 105 F. Additionally, people can develop a runny nose, cough and red eyes.

Evo is the biggest fighting game tournament of the year with over 9,000 attendees competing in multiple fighting games. 

Street Fighter was a big game at Evo 2019.

Over 3,500 people alone registered to compete in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and close to 2,000 played Street Fighter V.

• Read More: EVO apologize to Tekken fans after controversial Snake DLC prank

With so many bodies close together, having an infected person in the crowd could be extremely dangerous.

The SNHD recommends that, “people who may have been exposed should also contact their health care providers if they develop a rash with fever or other symptoms consistent with measles within 21 days after their visit to these locations.”

Dexerto will keep you posted on new developments in this story.