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Alexandria Health Department warns of another potential measles exposure in Northern Virginia

By James Cullum
Skin of a patient after three days with measles rash (via CDC)

The Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is sharing details on a June 19 potential measles exposure in Northern Virginia.

The Virginia Department of Health was notified that on June 19, a child with a confirmed case of measles traveled from another country to Washington Dulles International Airport en route to North Carolina. VDH announced the potential exposure on June 25 (Wednesday).

The child was reported to have gotten sick with the highly contagious illness while traveling from “another country where measles outbreaks have recently been reported,” according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

According to AHD:

Health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed, including contacting potentially exposed passengers on specific flights. Listed below are the dates, times, and locations of the potential exposure sites in Virginia:

  • Dulles International Airport (IAD) on Thursday, June 19:
    -Concourse A, on transportation to the International Arrivals Building (IAB), and in the baggage claim area between 7:45 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.
    -Departures area of Main Terminal, East Security Checkpoint, on transportation to Concourse C, and inside Concourse C between 8 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.

There have been multiple confirmed cases of measles in Virginia this year. This is the first in North Carolina.

According to VDH:

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.

AHD recommends the following:

  • 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.
  • 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 or Alexandria Health Department 703.746.4988 immediately. Non-immune individuals may qualify for post-exposure treatments.
  • 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.
  • Anyone with an immunocompromising condition should consult with their healthcare provider if they have questions or develop symptoms.
  • 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.

Residents can schedule immunizations through their health care providers, pharmacies or AHD’s immunization clinic. Visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/Immunization for more information on recommended vaccines and how to get them.

To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request your vaccination records using the VDH Immunization Record Request Form. Alexandria residents with additional questions about their potential exposure can email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov or contact Alexandria Health Department at 703.746.4988 Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

More information about measles, symptoms, and vaccination is available on the VDH measles website.

via CDC

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.