Washington state health officials are warning the public after a case of contagious measles was confirmed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in an adult traveler returning from Europe.
Seattle and King County Public Health Notified On May 30, tests were conducted on people who had passed through the airport on May 10 and 11 while infectious.
The individual is an Arizona resident who “likely acquired measles during travel to or within Europe,” the health alert said. The individual’s vaccination status is currently unknown.
New measles cases have been identified in individuals who were infectious and traveled through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). People who were at these locations within SEA on May 10 and 11 may have been infected.
Exposure location: https://t.co/BKMoG4dIcm
— Seattle & King County Public Health (@KCPubHealth) May 31, 2024
“Measles is highly contagious, and if you are not immune, you can get it just by being in a room that someone with measles has been in,” said Dr. Eric Chou, infectious disease chief for the local health department. “With measles cases increasing around the world and in the U.S., it’s important to check your vaccination status and get vaccinated if you’re not protected,” he advised.
Symptoms of measles include fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
“If one person is infected, up to nine out of 10 people in their vicinity will become infected if protective measures are not taken,” the health notice states.
Officials added that transmission of the disease can occur before people know they are infected and even before the rash appears.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Issued a warning In March rise Regarding global and domestic measles cases, he said 58 cases were confirmed in the United States between January 1 and March 14 this year.
The surge in infections in the United States is partly due to an influx of immigrants. 84% of recent cases in Chicago Linked Breitbart News reported that this was due to a wave of illegal immigration from Venezuela. As of April 10th, 57 Results The number of measles cases reported inside Chicago’s migrant shelters is just one less than the total number of measles cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Thirty-one of the measles cases were in migrant children under the age of five, city health officials said. Said.
