FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Health officials are warning the public about possible exposures to a child with measles at two northern Virginia locations.
The unvaccinated child contracted measles during international travel, but is now improving, the Virginia Department of Health said Wednesday in a news release.
People may have been exposed at Kaiser Permanente Ashburn Medical Center between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday or Inova Fairfax Hospital’s pediatric and adult emergency departments in Falls Church on Sunday or Monday nights, officials said. Outside of these locations and times, officials said they believe the risk to the community is low.
Unvaccinated people may be at risk of getting measles from this exposure and should contact the health department or their health care provider for advice and stay away from others if they notice symptoms, officials said.
The highly contagious illness spreads through coughing, sneezing, and droplets from an infected person’s nose, mouth, or throat. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash that appears around the third to seventh day.
Vaccinated people don’t need to take action, officials said. The risk is very low to anyone who has only received one dose, but officials advise that they contact a health care provider about another dose.