Child with measles may have exposed others at Sea-Tac airport, WA officials say

Health officials in Washington confirmed a new case of measles in a child from King County, according to a news release from the county’s public health department.

The boy likely caught the disease while traveling outside of the United States and it’s possible that he exposed other travelers to the measles at Sea-Tac International Airport, according to the release.

Measles can spread before symptoms develop, which can start seven days after exposure. It is highly contagious and symptoms include “fever, rash, cough and red, watery eyes,” according to the release.

“It mainly spreads through the air after a person with measles coughs or sneezes,” the release said.

The infected child was at the airport between 10 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 5, the release said.

“Measles outbreaks continue to circulate in many areas of the world,” Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Seattle and King County Public Health, said in a statement. “As long as people travel, no community is safe from measles introductions.”

Health officials advise anyone who may have been at the airport at the same time as the child to make sure they’re up-to-date on the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and to see a doctor if symptoms develop.

The Washington State Legislature passed a bill in May 2019 that got rid of “personal and philosophical [exemptions for].. the MMR vaccine required for school and child care entry,” according to the Washington State Department of Health. The law went into effect in July 2019, the agency said.

The law was introduced after two measles outbreaks occurred in the state in 2019, according to the agency. Those cases combined with one outside the outbreaks brought the state’s 2019 total to 87 cases that year — the most Washington has seen since 1990, the agency said.

The U.S. has had “12 confirmed cases in 7 jurisdictions” this year as of October, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, there were 1,282 cases of measles in 31 states, which is the most the U.S. has seen since 1992, the CDC said.

“The majority of cases were among people who were not vaccinated against measles,” according to the CDC.

“During our COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to stay up-to-date on all scheduled vaccinations for children, so we don’t lose important community protections against other serious infections,” Duchin said.

This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Child with measles may have exposed others at Sea-Tac airport, WA officials say."