The Virginia Department of Health has been notified of two additional confirmed cases of measles that moved across northern Virginia on Wednesday, March 5th and Friday, March 14th.
Both people are Maryland residents and have traveled internationally together recently, the agency said in a news release Thursday evening.
Health officials are coordinating efforts to identify potentially exposed people, including contacting passengers who have been exposed on certain flights.
According to the release, the dates, times and locations of potential exposure sites in Virginia are listed below.
Dulles International Airport (IAD) on Wednesday, March 5th:
During transport to Concourse A, International Arrival Building (IAB), and in baggage request area from 8am to 12:30pm
Concourse A, transport to the main terminal, and in the baggage billing area from 4pm to 9pm (reported previously on March 9th and unrelated to this new exposure).
Friday, March 14th, Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA):
Terminal shuttle bus from 12:00pm to 2:30pm
Washington Regional Metro on Friday, March 14th:
The Yellow Line Train from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station will travel to the Silver Line Train, heading towards the Silver Line Train, heading downtown at Largo Station, between 12:15pm and 3:15pm.
Additional exposure sites identified in Virginia will be posted on the VDH Measles website. Additional exposure sites have been identified in Maryland.
Virginia has not reported any measles cases in 2025.
What if I was in the above location on the specified day and time?
If you have never received measles containing vaccines (measles, mumps, or rubella) [MMR] (available in other countries or measles only vaccines), you may be at risk of developing measles. Anyone who is exposed and is thought to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider immediately, says VDH.
Beware of symptoms for 21 days from the date of potential exposure. If you notice symptoms of measles, you can quickly separate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider immediately. Call ahead before you go to the provider's office or emergency room to notify you that you may be exposed to measles and ask your local health department to call. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
Anyone with an immunocompromised condition should consult a health care provider if they have questions or develop symptoms.
If you receive two doses of a vaccine containing measles, or if you were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take action.
If you only received one dose of a vaccine containing measles, you are very likely to be protected and the risk of contracting measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, according to the release, to achieve the highest level of protection, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second dose of vaccine.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can easily spread into the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles symptoms are usually shown in two stages.
In the first stage, most people have a fever of over 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and cough. These symptoms usually begin 7-14 days after exposure. The second stage begins 3-5 days after symptoms begin, and the rash begins to appear on the face and spread to the rest of the body. People with measles are transmitted four days before the rash appears, and then the rash appears, and after the rash appears.
Virginia has a high rate of measles vaccinations, with about 95% of kindergarten children being fully vaccinated against measles. However, infants who are too young to be vaccinated or unvaccinated are very susceptible to infection if they are exposed to measles. Infants travelling internationally between 6 and 11 months old and 6 months to 11 months old must receive one MMR vaccine before travelling. If you have any questions about the MMR vaccine, talk to your healthcare provider.
To check your vaccination status, call your healthcare provider via the VDH vaccination record request form or request a record. Please contact your local health department for more information.
Virginia residents asking additional questions about potential exposures can call VDH at (804) 363-2704 or email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov. Visit us for more information about measles www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles/
