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A preschool-aged Northern Virginia child with measles may have exposed patients, visitors and staff during two visits to Fort Belvoir’s Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, state health officials said.
The child was in the hospital’s Emergency Department and Executive Medicine Suite at 9300 DeWitt Loop from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again from 10 p.m. to midnight on Friday, Jan. 9.
The Virginia Department of Health said the child contracted measles after recent international travel. Officials learned of the diagnosis on Saturday, Jan. 10, making it Virginia’s second confirmed measles case of the year.
Health officials are working to identify people who may have been exposed. VDH declined to release further information about the child, citing patient privacy.
Other possible exposure locations
The child’s travel created several other potential exposure sites in the region:
- Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 175, which left Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station at 9 p.m. and arrived at Washington’s Union Station at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 7.
- Amtrak shuttles traveling between the Baltimore/Washington International Airport rail station and airport drop-off points outside the lower level from 10:45 p.m. Jan. 7 to 1:30 a.m. Jan. 8.
- BWI Airport Parking Shuttles running between the airport’s lower level and long-term parking lots from 11 p.m. Jan. 7 to 2 a.m. Jan. 8.
The Maryland Department of Health identified the BWI locations but said exposure is not believed to have occurred inside the airport terminals.
Virginia recorded five measles cases last year and investigated several possible public exposures, including cases involving infectious travelers passing through Dulles International Airport.
VDH said the overall public risk remains low because most Virginians have immunity through vaccination. Approximately 95% of the state’s kindergarten students are fully vaccinated against measles.
Federal recommendations for measles vaccination remain unchanged, even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently stopped recommending several other routine childhood vaccinations.
What potentially exposed people should do
Anyone who visited the listed locations during the specified periods should check whether they have received the recommended measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations or previously had measles.
Immunization records can be obtained from a healthcare provider or through VDH’s Record Request Portal. People who have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, as well as those born before 1957, are considered protected.
Those who may have been exposed and are at risk of contracting measles should promptly contact a healthcare provider. People without immunity may qualify for time-sensitive treatment after exposure.
VDH recommends watching for symptoms for 21 days, particularly among people who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune. For this case, illness would most likely develop between Jan. 16 and Jan. 30.
Anyone who develops symptoms should remain at home and immediately contact a healthcare provider. Patients who need in-person care should call before entering a medical office or emergency room so staff can take precautions and notify the local health department.
Additional guidance is available from local health departments or by emailing epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov.
How measles spreads
Measles is highly contagious and travels through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms generally begin seven to 14 days after exposure with a fever above 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough. Three to five days later, a rash typically appears on the face before spreading across the body.
An infected person can transmit measles from four days before the rash appears through four days afterward.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide long-term protection. Infants who are too young for routine vaccination and other unvaccinated people face a higher risk after exposure. Infants ages 6 through 11 months who will travel internationally or visit an outbreak area should receive an MMR dose before traveling, according to health officials.