Measles Reported In VA, 16 Other States Prompts CDC Advisory

VIRGINIA — Federal health officials warned this week that measles cases are on the rise both domestically and globally, with 58 confirmed cases in 17 states, including Virginia, in the first three months of the year.

The 58 cases reported as of Thursday, March 14, are equal to all cases reported in 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday in an advisory to health care providers. The agency said 93 percent of the measles cases were linked to international travel, and that destinations such as Austria, the Philippines, Romania and the United Kingdom are all experiencing measles outbreaks.

Virginians who traveled through either Washington Dulles International Airport or Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the first two months of 2024 may have been exposed to measles, the Virginia Department of Health said.

On Feb. 2, a health alert said people who were at Dulles Airport on Jan. 27 in the international arrivals area of the main terminal between 6 and 9:30 a.m. may have been exposed to a person with measles returning from international travel. And on Jan. 13, VDH said a person infected with measles traveled through Dulles Airport and Reagan National Airport between Jan. 3 and 4.

Related: Measles Exposure Warning For Travelers At Dulles, Reagan Airports

Other states reporting cases were Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Most U.S. measles cases this year are among children around 1 year of age who have not yet had measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccinations, the CDC said.

The CDC typically recommends two doses of MMR vaccine, the first at age 12 to 15 months and the second at 4 to 6 years, or before starting school for the first time.

In its advisory, the agency recommended vaccinations for children 6 months and older who will travel internationally and for all children who are 12 months old, regardless of travel plans.

A person infected with the highly contagious viral disease can spread it to 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people they come in contact with, the CDC said.

Vaccinations have reduced the risk of measles in most U.S. communities, but pockets of the country continue to have low vaccine coverage, leaving some areas at higher risk for outbreaks.

As of the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, 93.1 percent of incoming kindergarten students had received the necessary doses of MMR vaccine, according to CDC data. In Virginia, 95.8 percent of kindergarteners received their MMR shots.

Vaccination requirements for school entry may differ depending on the state. However, all states except Wyoming require two doses of measles vaccine.

The early symptoms of measles include a high fever, cough, runny nose, and pink eye, which can last for about two to four days before a rash appears. The incubation period for measles, from initial exposure to fever, is usually around 10 days. The rash typically starts about 14 days after the initial exposure.

The virus responsible for measles is transmitted through direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. It can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left. Infected people are contagious four days before the rash starts through four days after.