Measles Case Confirmed In Fairfax County, Marking 5th Case Of 2026

HERNDON, VA — A case of measles has been identified in an adult resident of Northern Virginia, state health officials said on Wednesday, and is the fifth confirmed case of 2026.

The Virginia Department of Health did not provide additional information about the infected person, but said they visited multiple locations in Fairfax County where others may have been exposed to the disease.

Those locations include:

• The Ian Apartment Complex, 2249 Woodland Grove Place in Herndon, any time between Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 31.
• Kumo Sushi, 2338 Woodland Crossing Drive in Herndon, between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.
• Target, 12197 Sunset Hills Road in Reston, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25.
• Harris Teeter, 12960 Highland Crossing Drive in Herndon, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25.
• Fairfax County Animal Shelter – West Ox Campus, 4500 West Ox Road in Fairfax, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.

Health officials said anyone who might have been exposed and is considered to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider immediately.

Any additional exposure sites identified in Virginia will be posted to the VDH measles website.

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, a 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.

Measles can be prevented with the MMR vaccine. Two doses are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles, while one dose is about 93 percent effective, health officials said.