Holiday travelers with measles may have put others at risk in 5 states, officials say
Public health officials in five states are warning about people traveling with measles during the busy holiday season.
In the first case, three unvaccinated children with the highly contagious measles virus traveled through Los Angeles International Airport to Denver, Colorado in mid-December, according to public health officials in both states.
In the second case, a person with a confirmed case of the virus flew from Austin, Texas, to Chicago and then to Richmond, Virginia, officials said.
Public health officials in Virginia warned that unvaccinated people who came in contact with the virus could start showing signs of the virus as late as January 11, according to a recent press release.
Dr. Mark Escott, with Austin Public Health, said in a press conference, “That individual became ill on December the 14th and developed a rash on December the 17th. On that same day, December 17th, he boarded a flight from Austin to Chicago, United Flight 790, with a connecting flight to Virginia.”
He said the unidentified man most likely contracted the virus while traveling in Europe between late November and early December.
“It’s important to remember that measles can be a deadly disease,” he said. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself from measles, he said, and there is no treatment for the virus after someone gets infected.
In the case involving Los Angeles and Denver, three unvaccinated children traveled from New Zealand and through the two airports in the United States while they were contagious on Dec. 11, public health officials said.
The virus can stay in an area for several hours after an infected person leaves, Escott said.
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department warns symptoms can take seven to 21 days to develop. “If symptoms develop, stay at home and call a healthcare provider immediately.“
People with measles can experience flu-like symptoms with a very high fever that can spike higher than 104 degrees, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles also causes a rash that spreads from the face to the body about three to five days after the symptoms start, Escott said.
The virus is contagious up to four days before infected people start seeing the rash and for four days after, the CDC said.
“Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people around him or her will also become infected if they are not protected,” according to the CDC.
“Your child can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after that person has left. An infected person can spread measles to others even before knowing he/she has the disease,” the CDC said.
“The best protection against measles is measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine,” according to public health officials.
Most school children in the United States are required to get the vaccine, but Austin’s Dr. Escott said he’s seen growing pockets of children who are not vaccinated and could be at increased risk for the virus that can cause brain damage and kill patients.
