Potential measles exposure at Los Angeles International Airport
(LA Times) – A Los Angeles County resident may have exposed others to measles while traveling through Los Angeles International Airport last week.
Officials with the county Department of Public Health said Wednesday that the person showed signs of measles shortly after returning to Southern California. The departure city was not immediately provided.
The patient was at LAX on Friday from 11 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Saturday, and spent time at Terminal 5 and aboard a Parking-Spot Century airport shuttle. Terminal 5 houses Allegiant Air, Frontier, Hawaiian Air, JetBlue, Spirit, Sun Country and some American Airlines flights.
Those who may have been in the vicinity around the same time are urged to check their immunization records and contact a healthcare provider if they have not been vaccinated. Symptoms of infection can take 21 days to appear from the time of exposure.
Measles is a highly contagious disease spread through coughing and sneezing, but can linger in the air for two hours after an infected person leaves the area.
The United States is currently grappling with its worst measles outbreak in decades. More than 1,000 people have already been diagnosed with the disease this year — a much higher number than last year’s 372 diagnoses.
In California, officials have warned of public exposure to measles at Disneyland and at UCLA.
