Virginia Dept. of Health (VDH) announced they working to identify and notify people who may be at risk of measles after a confirmed case in Northern Virginia.
VDH said a person who traveled through Northern Virginia on the way back from an international trip has been confirmed to have measles.
The groups of people VDH cites as potentially exposed include those who were at Dulles International Airport in the international arrivals area of the main terminal between 4 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, January 3.
Those who were at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 4 in Terminal A between 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. may have been exposed.
And VDH said individuals who were on “certain flights” are also potentially at risk. But the department did not provide details about which flights it was referring to.
Highly contagious
Measles is a highly contagious and can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, said VDH. Infants under 12 months are too young to be vaccinated. Those infants, and other unvaccinated people are “very susceptible to infection if they are exposed.”
Symptoms
Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages, VDH explained. The first stage tends to involve a fever over 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after being exposed.
The second stage starts 3 to 5 days after symptoms start and is marked by a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body, the department added.
People with measles are contagious from 4 days before the rash appears through 4 days after the rash appeared.
What to do
VDH says if you’ve received two doses of a measles containing vaccine or were born before 1957, you are protected and don’t need to take any action. Those with one dose of the vaccine “are very likely to be protected” and the risk from exposure is considered “very low.”
Anyone who is at risk of exposure should be on the lookout for symptoms until January 25, the department stated. If symptoms appear, according to VDH, you need to isolate and immediately contact a healthcare provider.
However, VDH urges people to call before going to the doctor or the ER so preparations can be made to protect others.
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