The Alexandria Health Department is advising city residents of Northern Virginia’s fourth confirmed measles case this year and warning of potential exposures.
An adult from Northern Virginia with measles traveled through various sites in Fairfax County late last month, leading to potential exposures, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Dates, times and locations for the potential exposures are listed below.
- The Ian Apartment Complex, 2249 Woodland Grove Place in Herndon, any time between Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 31
- Kumo Sushi, 2338 Woodland Crossing Drive in Herndon, between 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24
- Target, 12197 Sunset Hills Road in Reston, between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25.
- Harris Teeter, 12960 Highland Crossing Drive in Herndon, between 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25.
- Fairfax County Animal Shelter – West Ox Campus, 4500 West Ox Road in Fairfax, between 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31.
Health officials are coordinating to identify exposed patients. Directions for those who were exposed “are slightly different than past recent measles scenarios,” AHD said.
“For this situation, VDH is asking all exposed people (regardless of their vaccine status) to fill out a short survey for the Fairfax County Health Department,” according to AHD. “Health officials will contact people if they’re eligible for time-sensitive treatment or if they need to take other additional actions.”
Exposed people are also encouraged to check their vaccination status. Patients who have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine or were born before 1957 are “considered protected” and do not need to seek treatment, according to VDH.
Otherwise, the most likely time patients would become sick from this exposure is by Feb. 21, VDH reported. Monitoring for symptoms — which include fever, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough — is “especially important for people who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles.”
Any additional in-state exposure sites identified will be posted to VDH’s Measles page.
This is Virginia’s fifth case of measles in 2026, meeting the state’s total case count in 2025. Four of the cases have been reported in Northern Virginia.
Last month, potential exposures were reported at Washington Dulles International Airport, health care facilities in Woodbridge and Fairfax County, the Fort Belvoir Medical Center, the Baltimore/Washington International Airport and on a regional Amtrak train.
