Northern Virginian sick with measles, 5th case in just over a month

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A Northern Virginia resident is sick with measles, marking the fifth such sickness Virginia has seen in just over a month. As they visited several Fairfax County places while ill, anyone who also visited those places around the same times may be at risk.

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) confirmed that an adult resident of Northern Virginia has become sick with measles.

This is the fifth confirmed measles case that Virginia has seen since 2026 began -- and four of those cases have been out of Northern Virginia. This includes two small children who traveled internationally, then became sick.

The measles patient, whose identity is being withheld for privacy reasons, visited multiple places in Fairfax County while they were sick, creating an exposure risk for those who were also at these places around the same time.

RECENTLY: Out-of-state visitor brings measles risk to Northern Virginia

Those exposure locations include:

• The Ian Apartment Complex, 2249 Woodland Grove Place
  • When: Any time between Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 31
• Kumo Sushi, 2338 Woodland Crossing Dr.
  • When: Between 7 and 10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24
• Target, 12197 Sunset Hills Rd.
  • When: Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25
• Harris Teeter, 12960 Highland Crossing Dr.
  • When: Between 2 and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25
• Fairfax County Animal Shelter - West Ox Campus, 4500 West Ox Rd.
  • When: Between 3 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.

If you were in any of these places during the listed dates and times, you may have been exposed to measles. The VDH said that it is working to identify people who may have been exposed.

What do I do if I’ve been exposed?

Measles is a highly infectious disease that is easily spread through the air or by direct contact with mucus or throat discharge from the infected person. State health officials stress that measles is “easily preventable” through vaccination. Two doses of this vaccine provide lifetime protection.

'It's so much damage': Thieves steal Henrico man's Corvette, leaving 20K in damages

For those reasons, if you were exposed but have received those two doses, you are considered safe — you do not need to do anything. Additionally, anyone born before 1957 is considered safe, per the VDH.

Those who have only received one dose of the vaccine are not fully protected, but they are “very likely” to be protected.

At-risk, exposed individuals who are unvaccinated and born after that cutoff should contact their healthcare provider immediately, as they are at risk of developing measles.

They are also encouraged to monitor themselves for symptoms, which can develop within 21 days of exposure. State health officials believe that anyone who was infected through this exposure event would likely develop symptoms between Dec. 12 and Dec. 29.

I’m at risk — what symptoms should I look out for?

During the first stage of a measles infection, sick people often see a fever higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, a runny nose, red and watery eyes and a cough, according to state health officials. If you were exposed and infected, these symptoms would likely appear within 7 to 14 days of said exposure.

Trailblazing Richmond-area doctor, civic leader Frank Spencer Royal, Sr. has died

The sickness usually progresses to its second stage about three to five days after the first stage begins. Sick people will start to notice a rash on their face, which will spread to the rest of their body.

Measles is contagious for four days before the rash appears and for four days afterwards, the VDH said.

If you start experiencing any of these symptoms, you should immediately self-isolate to prevent additional exposures to others.

To read the full press release from the VDH, click here.