RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – The Virginia Department of Health is investigating two confirmed cases of measles that traveled through Northern Virginia this month.
“Both people are Maryland residents who recently traveled together internationally,” VDH said. “Health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed, including contacting potentially exposed passengers on specific flights.”
VDH says the dates, times and locations of the new potential exposures are:
- Dulles International Airport on Wednesday, March 5 on Concourse A, on transportation to the International Arrivals Building and in the baggage claim area between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
- Ronald Reagan National Airport on Friday, March 14 on the Terminal Shuttle Bus between noon and 2:30 p.m.
- Washington area Metro on Friday, March 14 on the Yellow Line Train from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station transferring at the L’Enfant Plaza station to the Silver Line Train heading toward the Downtown Largo station between 12:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.
This is the third case of confirmed measles to have traveled through a Virginia airport. The VDH previously announced an exposure at Dulles that also happened on March 5.
VDH says measles symptoms usually appear in two stages:
- Most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough in the first stage. These symptoms usually start seven to 14 days after being exposed.
- The second stage starts three to five days after initial symptoms when a rash begins to appear on the face and spread to the rest of the body.
“Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes,” VDH said. “… People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared.”
Copyright 2025 WWBT. All rights reserved.