New Measles Exposure In Prince William, Fairfax Counties

WOODBRIDGE, VA — A preschool-age child who recently traveled internationally is Virginia's third confirmed case of measles, the Virginia Department of Health said Tuesday. The confirmed case is a resident of the Northern Region who is 4 years old or younger.

To protect the patient’s privacy, VDH will not provide any additional information about the patient.

This case is unrelated to a recent measles case reported on Jan. 11, when a child confirmed to have the disease traveled through Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia while infectious.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that is spread easily through the air when an infectious person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can also be transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets.

The dates, times, and locations of the potential exposure sites in Virginia are:

• PM Pediatric Urgent Care, 2690 Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 13
• Inova Children’s Emergency Department, 3300 Gallows Road in Falls Church, from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Jan. 15 and from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Jan. 16.
• Inova Fairfax Hospital Women’s and Children’s Building, Floors 2-10, 3300 Gallows Road in Falls Church, from 2:30 a.m. Jan. 17 to 5 p.m. Jan. 18.

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

A week ago, a child confirmed to have the measles traveled through Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia while infectious late Jan. 7 through early Jan. 8, according to state health officials.

• Related: Child With Measles Traveled Through MD, NoVA

Early symptoms of measles are a fever of more than 101 degrees, runny nose, cough, and red, watery eyes. Usually, one to four days after the early symptoms, a red rash appears on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. A person with measles is contagious, beginning four days before the rash appears until four days after the rash begins.

The most likely time someone exposed to this measles patient would become sick would be between Jan. 20 to Feb. 8, health officials said.

What to Do If You Have Been Exposed to Measles

Most people in Virginia have immunity to measles through vaccination, so the risk to the general public is low, health officials said. However, 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 and do not need to seek post-exposure treatment at this time.
• People who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles should contact their healthcare provider or call their local health department. People who are not immune to measles may qualify for post-exposure treatments. There is a small timeframe for these protective post-exposure treatments 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.
  • Contact your local health department or email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov to discuss any additional recommendations.