Ohio Department of Health: People who recently traveled through northern Kentucky airport may have been exposed to measles

02/09/2024 / By Olivia Cook

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has warned recent passengers at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in Boone County, northern Kentucky, that they may have been exposed to measles.

Officials particularly mentioned those who had been at CVG’s Terminal A on Jan. 27 between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. and on Jan. 29 between 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

The ODH has warned travelers to be aware of the signs and symptoms of measles, which usually appear seven to 14 days after initial exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes and then followed by a spreading rash. The ODH claims that travelers who have been vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine are very unlikely to get sick. (Related: Measles VACCINE linked to 127 deaths in last 15 years; only two deaths linked to humans who contracted measles naturally in that same period.)

“If you begin to experience symptoms, you should stay inside your home and away from anyone else,” said the ODH. “You or someone in your family should contact your doctor to inform them that you believe you may have been exposed so they can take precautionary measures before your appointment for a checkup and consult.”

The ODH associated the exposure to a measles case reported in Montgomery County, Ohio, where the last confirmed measles case prior to this one occurred in 2005.

Measles outbreak continues in the U.S., other parts of the world

Measles outbreaks continue to rock the United States.

On Jan. 22, Philadelphia Department of Public Health Communications Director James Garrow reported that over the last month, there had been at least nine confirmed measles cases after a person contracted the highly contagious viral infection outside the U.S. and exposed a parent and a child at a children’s hospital. That exposure then led to a Philadelphia daycare outbreak that infected at least five children.

On Jan. 18, the Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed a single case of measles in an unvaccinated resident of the metro Atlanta area who was exposed to measles while traveling out of the country.

On Jan. 25, a CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity alert reported that the CDC was notified of 23 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S., including direct importations of measles by international travelers and two outbreaks with more than five cases each – among children and adolescents who were mostly among those who had not received an MMR vaccine or MMRV vaccine that included protection from chickenpox.

On Feb. 6, ABC7 reported that California has two new confirmed measles cases, while Maryland and Ohio each have one new confirmed case.

Meanwhile, there have been 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases since October 2023 in West Midlands alone. West Midlands is one of the nine official regions of England.

“International travel, coupled with declining global vaccination rates, is probably behind this spate of cases,” said health experts.

Visit Outbreak.news for more stories about disease outbreaks in the United States.

Watch this new broadcast from WCPO 9 warning about the possible measles exposure at CVG Airport.

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