Health officials want you to keep an eye out for symptoms of measles if you were at one of three locations in Arlington and D.C. in early July.
A person with a now-confirmed case of measles, visiting from outside the D.C. area, stopped at all three of those locations on July 1 and July 2. That means other people at those locations may have been exposed to measles while that person was contagious.
Where were the measles exposure sites?
Here are the locations, dates and times where people may have been exposed to measles, according to Arlington County Public Health and D.C. Department of Health officials:
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our newsletter The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
- The Harris Teeter at 624B N Glebe Road in Arlington, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on July 1
- The CVS Pharmacy at 2226 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on July 2
- The LabCorp site at 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 2
If you or someone you know was at any of those locations at those times, here's what to know.
Who might be at risk of getting measles?
Those who are vaccinated against measles are protected.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine, which vaccinates against measles, mumps and rubella, provides full protection against the disease. (There are also measles-only vaccines given in other countries that provide the same level of protection as the U.S.'s MMR vaccine.)
The two-dose MMR vaccine gives lifelong protection.
If you only received one dose of the MMR vaccine, you are very likely to be protected even if you were exposed to measles. However, even though your risk of infection is low, health officials recommend contacting your doctor or another healthcare provider about getting that second vaccine dose.
People born before 1957 have what's called presumptive immunity to measles, because they likely caught the highly contagious disease while attending school before the first vaccine was available, Bloomberg reports.
But those born after 1957 who never got vaccinated against measles, those under 12 months old who are too young to be vaccinated, and those who are immunocompromised should keep an eye out for any possible symptoms.
What are the symptoms of measles to watch for?
Measles is very, very contagious. It spreads when someone infected with the virus breathes, coughs or sneezes, and symptoms appear in two stages, according to D.C. health officials.
The first stage gives most infected people a fever of 101 degrees or higher, along with a runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough -- the same way a cold, COVID, or the flu might look and feel.
That first stage can begin anywhere between seven and 14 days after a person is exposed to measles. For people exposed in Arlington or D.C., that means symptoms may appear anytime before July 15 or 16.
The second stage of measles brings a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. The rash may appear anywhere between three and five days after the first stage of symptoms.
The contagious window of measles begins four days before the rash appears, and continues until four days after the rash starts.
How long should someone exposed watch for symptoms?
Because of that window when measles is contagious, health officials are asking anyone who might have been exposed to the virus in Arlington or D.C. to keep an eye out for symptoms until July 22.
Do I need to quarantine if I was exposed to measles?
You do not need to automatically isolate yourself if you were exposed to measles.
However, if you notice any symptoms of measles, health officials ask that you immediately isolate yourself at that point. Stay at home, and stay away from others who live in the same home as you.
It is especially important that anyone who might have measles stay away from infants under 12 months old, or other people who are not vaccinated against the virus. Those unvaccinated individuals are very susceptible to the disease if they're exposed.
Contact your healthcare provider right away if you start to show symptoms that could be measles. Call your doctor's office or clinic before you visit in person to notify them, so they can protect staff and the other patients from the virus.
