The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed two additional confirmed cases of measles in Maryland. The two individuals traveled through Northern Virginia airports, potentially exposing other travelers.
The two individuals are both Maryland residents but visited Dulles International Airport, Reagan National Airport, and the Metro between March 5 and 14.
Health officials are working to identify anyone who may have been exposed, including contacting passengers who may have been exposed on flights.
If you were in the following locations at these given times, you may have been exposed, officials warn:
- Dulles International Airport (IAD) on Wednesday, March 5:
- Concourse A, on transportation to the International Arrivals Building (IAB) and in the baggage claim area between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
- Concourse A, on transportation to the main terminal and in the baggage claim area between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. (Previously reported March 9 and unrelated to this new exposure.)
- Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) on Friday, March 14:
- Terminal Shuttle Bus between 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
- Washington Area Metro on Friday, March 14:
- Yellow Line Train from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station transferring at the L’Enfant Plaza station to the Silver Line Train heading towards the Downtown Largo station between 12:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.
These exposures follow another recent exposure at Dulles in early March. They are not related to that case, nor are they related to the measles outbreak in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.
There have not been any confirmed cases of measles in Virginia in 2025.
About Measles
Measles is highly contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.
Symptoms appear in two stages. The first, which appears seven to 14 days after exposure, typically includes a fever, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. The second, which begins three to five days after symptoms appear, includes a rash on the face that spreads to the rest of the body.
Severe complications from measles can include pneumonia, encephalitis, and death.
The MMR vaccine is safe and effective, VDH says, and two doses of the vaccine should provide lifetime protection. The Centers for Disease Control says that two doses of the vaccine are 97 percent effective at preventing measles. One dose is 93 percent effective.
Infants under 1 year old are too young to receive the vaccine. Anyone without the vaccine may be susceptible to infection.
There have been 301 cases of measles in the United States in 2025, including two deaths, according to the CDC.
Feature image of Reagan National Airport, stock.adobe.com
