Health officials of the Seattle King County confirmed that people at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were possibly exposed to the measles virus in early September this year.
On Sept. 13, King County issued a statement, which revealed that a person infected with the contagious measles virus used Sea-Tac's airport facilities during a time when the virus could be spread in the air.
"Local public health officials are investigating a confirmed case of measles infection in a traveler who was at Sea-Tac airport during the contagious period. The traveler was likely exposed to measles outside of the United States," says the King County.
Measles is a contagious disease that can spread though sneezing or coughing by an infected person. Symptoms of the disease usually start after 7 to 21 days of exposure to the virus, which may include cough, high fever, rash and red or watery eyes.
The King County statement suggests that most of the people in the region are immune to measles and risk to general public is very low. However, if someone gets any symptoms of the disease they should contact their health care provider immediately. The statement also suggests that if a person is suspected to have measles then they should first call their clinic or hospital to confirm that they want to be evaluated for measles.
People exposed to the virus are likely to show symptoms of the disease between Sept. 13 and Sept. 27.
The statement revealed that the infected measles traveler was in the vicinity of the North Satellite Terminal, Baggage Claim area and the Satellite Transit Interterminal Train area from 8:10 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 6. The traveler is also believed to have visited the Courtyard Seattle Federal Way Hotel's restaurant, The Bistro, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. People who were in these areas of the airport should be vigilant about any measles symptoms.
A measles outbreak in the U.S. started earlier this year in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Health confirms that there around 400 people reported to have got infected with the disease, which also included 9 hospitalizations.
Measles is not very common in the U.S. and healthcare professionals usually urge people to get their children vaccinated with the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine to combat the disease. However, thousands of people across the globe die each year due to measles.
