Health officials in Washington are warning the public of a case of infectious measles that was confirmed in an adult traveler returning from Europe at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Public Health – Seattle & King County was notified on May 30 of a person who traveled through the airport on May 10 and May 11 “while infectious.”
The individual is an Arizona resident who was “likely exposed to measles while traveling to or within Europe,” the health alert stated. The person’s vaccine status is currently unknown.
We have confirmed a new case of measles in an individual who traveled through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) while infectious. People who were at these locations in SEA on May 10 and 11 may have been exposed.
Exposure locations: https://t.co/BKMoG4dIcm
— Public Health – Seattle & King County (@KCPubHealth) May 31, 2024
“Measles is highly contagious and if you don’t have immunity, you can get it just by being in a room where a person with measles has been,” Dr. Eric Chow, the local health agency’s communicable disease chief, said. “We’ve seen an increase in measles cases around the world and in the U.S., so it’s an important time to check your vaccination status and get vaccinated if you aren’t protected,” he advised.
Symptoms of measles include fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
“If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected,” the health notice states.
Officials added that transmission of the disease can occur before people know they have been infected and before any rash appears.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning in March amid an uptick of global and domestic measles cases, stating that there were 58 confirmed cases in the United States from January 1 to March 14 of this year.
The surge of cases in the United States can be partially attributed to the influx of migrants; 84 percent of Chicago’s recent cases were linked to the wave of illegal aliens from Venezuela, Breitbart News reported. As of April 10, 57 cases had been reported within Chicago migrant shelters — just one fewer than the total number of measles patients in the entire country in 2023.
A whopping 31 of those measles cases were in migrant children under five, city health officials said.
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