The Virginia Department of Health has been notified of a confirmed case of measles at Dulles Airport and the Washington Area Metro on Sunday, June 8. The confirmed case is an international traveler visiting the Washington, D.C. area. Health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed, including contacting potentially exposed passengers on specific flights.
Here’s what we know:
–Dulles International Airport (IAD) on Sunday, June 8:
Concourse A, on transportation to the International Arrivals Building (IAB), and in the baggage claim area between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
–Washington Area Metro on Sunday, June 8:
Silver Line Train from Dulles International Airport station transferring at the Metro Center Station to the Red Line Train heading towards Shady Grove Station between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
What should you do if you were at the above locations on the day and time specified?
If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any action.
The state health department says if you have never received a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles-only vaccine which is available in other countries), you may be at risk of developing measles.
Anyone who might have been exposed and is considered to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider immediately.
Watch for symptoms for 21 days after the date of your potential exposure. If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
VDH says if you have received only one dose of a measles-containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve the highest level of protection, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
The state health department says measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually start seven to fourteen days after being exposed. The second stage starts three to five days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared.
For more information about measles, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles/.
