D.C. health officials warn someone with highly contagious measles arrived at Union Station last week and may have exposed others to the illness in three locations. News4’s Aimee Cho reports.
Someone with measles traveled to D.C. by train last week, health officials warned on Tuesday.
The person who was diagnosed traveled through several places in D.C. while contagious, including an Amtrak train, officials said.
They warned about potential exposure at these locations and times:
- Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train Southbound on March 19, 7:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
- Amtrak Concourse, Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE, D.C., on March 19, 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
- MedStar Urgent Care Adams Morgan, 1805 Columbia Road NW, D.C., on March 22, 7 p.m.-11 p.m.
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It wasn’t immediately clear if the D.C. measles patient had traveled internationally or was vaccinated.
Last month, Texas health officials announced an unvaccinated child died of measles, marking the first U.S. measles death in a decade.
In all of 2024, there were 285 measles cases in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Of those, 89% of patients were unvaccinated.
In recent weeks in the D.C. area, we’ve seen two measles cases in Prince George’s County and one in Howard County. Health officials said those patients had traveled internationally.
Health officials are tracking any possible spread of the highly contagious illness, said Dr. Glenn Wortmann, the director of infectious diseases at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
“It’s being spread in communities much more widely than we have seen in the past, and the way to stop that from happening is keep your vaccination rates up,” he said.
If you believe you could have measles, call a clinic or hospital before you show up so they can prepare. They would put a mask on you, take you to a private room and try to prevent any unvaccinated people from coming into contact with you.
Wortmann said though measles is rare, most hospitals are equipped to deal with it. They have what are called negative pressure rooms to trap infected air inside.
What the D.C. Department of Health says about possible exposure
In a press release, health officials asked residents to contact the health department immediately to report any suspected cases and arrange for public health testing.
"If you have never received a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles only vaccine which is available in other countries), you may be at risk of developing measles.
Anyone who was exposed and is at risk of developing measles should watch for symptoms until 21 days following the date of their last exposure.
If you notice the symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home and away from others.
Contact your healthcare provider immediately. Call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the health department to help protect other patients and staff."
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