A preschool-aged child diagnosed with measles recently visited the medical center at Fort Belvoir, among other locations in the D.C. region, the Virginia Department of Health says.
The child, who lives in Northern Virginia, was present at the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center Emergency Department and Executive Medicine Suite (9300 DeWitt Loop) at Fort Belvoir between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., and from 10 p.m. to midnight last Friday (Jan. 9), potentially exposing other patients, visitors and staff.
According to state health officials, the child was confirmed to have contracted measles after recently traveling internationally. VDH was notified of the case — Virginia’s second so far this year — on Saturday (Jan. 10).
“To protect the patient’s privacy, VDH will not provide any additional information about the patient,” the health department said yesterday (Sunday) in a press release. “Virginia health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed.”
In addition to the Fort Belvoir medical center, other potential exposure sites include:
- An Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 175 that departed the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia at 9 p.m. and arrived at Union Station in D.C. at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 7
- Amtrak shuttle to and from the Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) train station, along with drop-off points outside the airport’s lower level between 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 7 and 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 8
- BWI Airport Parking Shuttle to and from BWI’s lower level to its long-term parking lots from 11 p.m. on Jan. 7 to 2 a.m. on Jan. 8
The BWI sites were identified by the Maryland Department of Health, which noted that no exposures are believed to have occurred inside the airport’s terminals.
VDH reported five cases of measles last year and tracked several potential public exposures, including multiple cases from travelers who were infectious while passing through Dulles International Airport.
“Most people in Virginia have immunity to measles through vaccination, so the risk to the general public is low,” VDH said.
Now led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine opponent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that it will no longer recommend childhood vaccinations that have been proven effective against RSV, the flu, COVID-19, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus and meningococcal disease.
The federal government’s guidance supporting measles vaccines and several other diseases, however, remains unchanged.
More from VDH on measles and what people who may have been exposed to the most recently confirmed case should do:
Anyone who was at the potential exposure sites at the times listed should:
- Find out if you have been vaccinated for measles or have had measles previously. Make sure you are up to date with the recommended number of measles (MMR) vaccinations.
- To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request records through the VDH Record Request Portal.
- If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are considered protected.
- Anyone who might have been exposed and is considered to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider promptly to discuss any questions they might have. People who are not immune to measles might qualify for post-exposure treatments. There is a small timeframe within which these protective post-exposure treatments need to be given to be effective.
- Watch for symptoms of measles for 21 days after the potential exposure. Monitoring for symptoms is especially important for people who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles.
- If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
- The most likely time you would become sick would be between January 16 to January 30.
- Contact your local health department or email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov to discuss any additional recommendations.
General Measles Information
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. 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. These symptoms usually start seven to 14 days after being exposed. The second stage starts three to five days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared.
Measles is preventable through a safe and effective MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are given to provide lifetime protection. Virginia has high measles vaccination rates, with approximately 95% of kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles. However, infants who are too young to be vaccinated, and others who are not vaccinated, are at high risk of developing measles if they are exposed. Infants six months through 11 months of age who will be traveling internationally, or to an outbreak setting, should receive one dose of MMR vaccine prior to travel. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about the MMR vaccine.
Photo via Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center/Facebook
