The Virginia Department of Health is reporting the state’s first measles case of the year, a child under 4 years old who potentially exposed others at local clinics.
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The Virginia Department of Health is reporting the state’s first measles case of the year, a child under four years old who potentially exposed others at clinics in Woodbridge and Fredericksburg.
The patient recently traveled internationally and lives in the agency’s Northwest region, which includes Stafford, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties.
To protect the family’s privacy, VDH will not provide any additional information about the patient.
The agency said health officials are coordinating efforts to identify anyone who might have been exposed.
Below are the dates, times, and locations of potential exposure sites in Virginia:
- Kaiser Permanente Caton Hill Medical Center, Advanced Urgent Care, located at 13285 Minnieville Road in Woodbridge on Tuesday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Kaiser Permanente Fredericksburg Medical Center, Pediatrics Department, located at 1201 Hospital Drive in Fredericksburg on Wednesday, April 16 from noon to 5 p.m.
What should you do if you were at the above locations on the day and time specified?
If you have never received a measles containing vaccine, you may be at risk of developing measles, the VDH said.
Anyone who might have been exposed and is considered to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider immediately.
Watch for symptoms for 21 days after the date of your potential exposure. If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away.
If you need to seek healthcare, 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 local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff, the release said.
Anyone with an immunocompromising condition should consult with their healthcare provider if they have questions or develop symptoms.
If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any action.
If you have received only one dose of a measles-containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve the highest level of protection, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, according to the VDH. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough.
These symptoms usually start seven to 14 days after being exposed. The second stage starts three to five days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared.
To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request your vaccination records using the VDH Immunization Record Request Form. Virginia residents with additional questions about their potential exposure can email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov or contact your local health department.
For more information about measles visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles/
