October 4, 2010
(Arlington, Va.) Out of an abundance of caution, Arlington County Public Health Division (ACPHD) is informing people who were at Reagan National Airport on Thursday, September 23, 2010 from 8:45 AM to 12:30 PM in Terminal C that they may have been exposed to a person with measles. People at risk for exposure on the plane have been identified and are being contacted by their state and/or local health officials.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing, and contact with secretions from the nose, mouth, and throat of an infected individual.
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. The second stage begins around the third to seventh day when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads over the entire body.
What should you do if you were at Reagan National Airport, in Terminal C, from 8:45 AM to 12:30 PM, on Thursday, September 23, 2010?
- If you notice the symptoms of measles, please call your primary health care provider to discuss further care. Call your primary health care provider’s office that you were exposed to measles, prior to going to the office or the ER.
- NOTE: If you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system, ACPHD recommends that you contact your primary health care provider regardless of symptoms.
Based on the date of exposure, we have determined that if you were infected with measles, you may develop symptoms as late as Thursday, October 14, 2010. For more on measles, go towww.vdh.virginia.gov/Epidemiology/factsheets/Measles.htm.
For additional questions, please call the Arlington County Public Health Division at 703-228-2358.