Philly Health Department warns of possible measles exposure at airport
The Health Department noted that the measles exposure would have taken place on the morning of Saturday, July 4.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is notifying travelers of a possible measles exposure that occurred recently at Philadelphia International Airport.
The Health Department noted that the exposure would have taken place on Saturday, July 4, between 7:30-11:15 a.m. at Terminals A, B, and C. The person with measles was traveling through Philadelphia and health officials are encouraging people who might have been exposed to check their vaccination status and watch for symptoms.
“We believe there is no threat to the general public associated with this case of measles,” city Health Commissioner Palak Raval-Nelson said in a statement. “We encourage people who were possibly exposed to take action if they are not protected against measles. Measles activity remains elevated both internationally and in areas of the United States, including the ongoing outbreak in Pennsylvania west of the city, concentrated in Lancaster and Lebanon counties, with spread to Chester County.”
Raval-Nelson encouraged parents to follow the CDC’s immunization schedule and have children fully vaccinated “as soon as they are able.”
Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air through coughing, sneezing, or talking. People who aren’t protected against measles can contract the virus up to two hours after someone else with measles left the same room or airspace. The early symptoms of measles are fever, runny nose, cough, and red, watery eyes, followed by rash. In some people, it can be a serious infection that leads to pneumonia, brain infection, and death.
