Travelers with measles may have infected others at Los Angeles airport, officials say
Southern California health officials are warning travelers that three people who flew through Los Angeles International Airport this month were infected with the highly contagious measles virus.
The three contagious travelers, who aren’t residents of Los Angeles, were at terminal 4 and 5 of LAX on Dec. 11 from 6:50 a.m. to noon, where they could have exposed others to the deadly disease, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a news release on Monday.
Health officials said authorities are “looking to identify others who are at risk for measles and may have been exposed to these persons.”
The cases of measles at the Southern California hub come during the busy holiday travel season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Airports are known for spreading the measles virus: A study earlier this year revealed that the U.S. counties most at risk for a measles outbreak hosted large international airports.
Local health officials urged people planning to make international trips “to get the measles immunization in order to better protect their individual health and to prevent the spread of measles to others.”
People exposed to the virus at LAX on Dec. 11 are at risk of coming down with the virus for up to three weeks. Anyone concerned about exposure should check their vaccination records, talk to a health care provider and be watchful for symptoms including fever and unexplained rash, health officials said.
There have been 20 cases of measles among Los Angeles County residents this year and 14 among non-residents passing through, though those numbers don’t include cases in Long Beach and Pasadena, which are counted separately, according to Los Angeles health officials.
Most of those infected in 2019 were either unvaccinated against the disease or didn’t know if they were, Los Angeles health officials said.
“For those who are not protected, measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease that initially causes fever, cough, red, watery eyes, and, finally, a rash,” said Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “Measles is spread by air and by direct contact even before you know have it. The MMR immunization is a very effective measure to protect yourself and to prevent the unintentional spread of this potentially serious infection to others.”
Measles is one of the most easily spread viruses in the world, with roughly 90 percent of those who aren’t vaccinated developing the virus a week to three weeks after exposure, public health officials said.
“Infected people can infect those around them before they have symptoms and know they are infected,” health officials said.
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Travelers with measles may have infected others at Los Angeles airport, officials say."
