Teen diagnosed with measles marks second case in Virginia this year
VENN
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) -- A teenager who spent several hours in Charlottesville has been diagnosed with measles, creating an exposure risk for those in the area.
The evening of Friday, May 23, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) confirmed the second case of measles in Virginia this year. The unidentified patient is a teenager between 13 and 17 years old who recently travelled internationally.
Measles is highly contagious and spreads easily through the air when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. The VDH provided locations, dates and times of five potential exposure sites in Charlottesville, listed below:
- Charlottesville Albemarle Airport
- Tuesday, May 20, between 2:15 and 5:30 p.m.
- Play It Again Sports, 1885 Seminole Trail
- Tuesday, May 20, between 2:40 to 5 p.m.
- Goodwill Store and Donation Center, 440 Gander Drive
- Tuesday, May 20 from 3:10 to 5:30 p.m.
- UVA Health Primary Care Riverside, 2335 Seminole Lane, Suite 200
- Thursday, May 22 from 2 to 7:10 p.m.
- UVA Health University Medical Center Emergency Department, 1215 Lee St.
- Friday, May 23 from 12 to 6 a.m.
Health officials are working to identify anyone who may have been exposed, the VDH said.
FROM APRIL: Child diagnosed with measles confirmed as first case in Virginia
If you visited any of the above locations on the date and time specified, you may have been exposed to measles.
Those who have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine or were born before 1957 are protected and do not need to do anything. Measles is entirely preventable through these vaccinations, the VDH said.
If you have not received such a vaccine, you are at risk of developing measles and should contact your healthcare provider immediately.
Symptoms of the first stage of measles include a fever of over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, a runny nose, red and watery eyes and a cough. These symptoms typically appear within 7 to 14 days of exposure. In the second stage, which usually begins 3 to 5 days after symptoms start, infected people develop a rash on their face that spreads to the rest of their body.
Measles is contagious for four days prior to the rash appearing and for four days afterwards, per the VDH.
If you were exposed and are at risk of developing measles, you should monitor yourself for symptoms, which can develop within 21 days of exposure. If you begin to notice any of the above symptoms, you should immediately self-isolate to protect others.
For more information, read the VDH's full press release here.
