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State and federal health officials were in high gear this morning after a 15-year-old contestant at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair was hospitalized with the measles.

The girl, who came from India, was at the fair Monday through Wednesday and could have exposed other students and visitors present during those days, said Mack Sewell, state epidemiologist.

"We're quite concerned and taking a number of steps," Sewell said. "We got the lab results late yesterday afternoon and have been scrambling ever since to get a game plan together."

Overall, the fair at the Albuquerque Convention Center had about 5,000 badged attendees and about 1,200 judges who might have been exposed, said Jeanette Miller, a co-organizer.

Measles causes high fever, a rash that starts on the face and can spread across the chest, and respiratory infections. It is more dangerous in adults and, in rare cases, can be fatal, Sewell said.

However, there is good news on the disease and how it spreads that could reduce the risk of an epidemic.

Although the disease is highly contagious, it incubates for about 10 days before symptoms appear or a person becomes contagious.

Vaccinations are effective for about the first 78 hours after a person has been exposed.

Most kids in the United States are vaccinated for the disease with two shots in early childhood.

Most adults in the United States born before 1957 would have been exposed to the disease in childhood and developed a natural immunity.

The long incubation period means the throngs of Albuquerque students that visited the fair on Thursday, the first public day, were likely not infected because the girl wasn't there, Sewell said.

"That would be my conclusion," Sewell said. "That is quite good news."

But those visiting the fair from 47 other countries might be at higher risk, Sewell said.

"It's virtually impossible to know how many of these international students have been immunized," Sewell said.

There is also the possibility that the girl infected people she came in contact with while visiting other spots in Albuquerque.

Health officials are advising anyone who thinks they might have been exposed to the disease to call for advice on whether they need a shot.

According to the Health Department, the girl could also have exposed people at:

The MCM Elegante Hotel, 2020 Menaul Blvd. N.E., from Saturday through Wednesday.

The Wal-Mart at Carlisle and Menaul on Monday from 2 to 3 p.m.

The Fairfield Inn by Mariott, 1760 Menaul Blvd., on Wednesday and Thursday.

The emergency room at Lovelace Medical Center downtown from 3:20 p.m. on Wednesday through 2 a.m. on Thursday.

The girl also spent about five hours at the Atlanta International Airport on Saturday, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the possibility of transmission of the disease in that area, Sewell said.

"We're also notifying other state health departments and staying in close contact with the CDC," Sewell said.

The girl was taken to the Lovelace Medical Center downtown on Wednesday night, but the lab results weren't available until late Thursday.

Lovelace is calling all patients and staff that might have been exposed, said Susan Wilson, a spokeswoman for Lovelace Health System.

"If people were in our emergency room - and just our emergency room - when she was there, they may have been exposed or had risk of exposure," she said.

The Health Department has opened a shot clinic today at the creative arts building at New Mexico Expo, where those at the science fair will be receiving awards today. The public can also get evaluated at the clinic through 5 p.m. this evening.

So far, people at the fair are taking the news in stride, said Jeanette Miller, a co-organizer.

"Mostly the people requesting boosters have been adults," Miller said. "But nobody is panicking."

The state has 11,000 shots available and can get more quickly from the CDC if needed, Sewell said.

"We're in pretty good shape right now," Sewell said.