Virginia warned travelers on Saturday that they could have been exposed to “highly contagious” measles, causing concern on social media.
The Virginia Public Health Department (VDH) announced on Saturday that it was aware of a person with a confirmed case of measles who recently returned from international travel and passed through northern Virginia.
Health officials are implementing measures to identify individuals who may have been in contact with someone infected with measles, an airborne illness that is highly contagious and can be transmitted through breathing, coughing, or sneezing.
Symptoms, including fever, cough, runny nose, rash, and red, watery, or pink eyes, usually appear one to two weeks after infection. Those who have not received the measles vaccine are at risk of infection.
It has been announced by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that there was a possible exposure to measles at Dulles International Airport’s main terminal in Dulles, Virginia, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on January 3.
On January 4, there was a possible COVID-19 exposure at Terminal A of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Social Media Buzzes with Alarming Updates and Vaccine Efficacy Discussions
On Tuesday, news of the potential spread of the illness spread across social media, eliciting new questions and concerns.
Some have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to express their thoughts on the warning.
Abraham Gutman, health reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, noted the news on X, adding that measles was “eliminated” in 2000: “Having a ‘measles’ google news alert is wild. Over the past week, there have been reports of new measles case in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, and Missouri. Reminder: US ‘eliminated’ measles in 2000. Yikes.”
The CDC declared measles to be extinct in the United States in 2000, claiming that the viral infection was no longer present on a consistent basis.
However, the agency warned that travelers could continue to transmit measles into the United States, and that it can occasionally spread and cause outbreaks among the unvaccinated population.
All details about the infected international traveler are unknown.
According to Charlie Kirk, the conservative podcast host and founder of Turning Point USA, travelers at Dulles and Reagan airports may have been exposed to a highly contagious measles virus linked to an international traveler on January 3rd. The virus remains in the air for two hours. Travelers should be on the lookout for symptoms over the next week.
Others, however, emphasized the vaccine’s effectiveness in treating the illness. According to VDH, measles can be prevented with a safe and effective MMR vaccine, which requires two doses to provide lifetime immunity. The agency also stated that Virginia has high measles vaccination rates, with approximately 95 percent of kindergarten students fully vaccinated against measles.
X user Carolina said, “Let’s see if those measles vaccines work, right?”
Virginia’s measles case is only the latest regarding the illness in the last month.
New Jersey health officials also confirmed over the weekend that a Camden County resident had the measles, saying they were working on contact-tracing to locate the source of the infection.
The infected party visited two health care facilities in Camden County: Cooper University Healthcare Pediatrics on January 5 and Jefferson South Jersey Stratford Hospital on January 8.
