Health Officials Issue Measles Warning After 2 Cases Identified in Travelers to the U.S.

Two cases of measles have been confirmed in individuals who traveled through airports in Newark, Detroit, and Memphis this month, health officials said.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that a person who returned on March 6 to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport from traveling internationally was contagious at the customs and baggage claim in the airport’s north terminal, putting anyone who was in the area between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at risk for measles. The person, who The Washington Post reports was traveling from India, lives in Washtenaw County and was hospitalized after returning to the U.S. The health department said the individual is currently recovering.

A case of measles was also detected in Newark and Memphis after a young child traveling from Brussels to Newark Liberty International Airport was confirmed to have the disease, putting others in the airport at risk, New Jersey health officials told NJ.com. The child landed in Terminal B on Monday and left the airport from Terminal C to travel to Memphis, and “may have traveled to other areas of the airport,” the state health department said.

People in the Newark airport from 12:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday are most at risk for developing measles, with symptoms able to appear by April 2 at the latest, NJ.com reports. The child could have also exposed others to measles while traveling to Memphis International Airport, health officials told USA Today.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air via coughing and sneezing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms begin with a fever, runny nose, red eyes and a sore throat, followed by a rash that spreads all over the body. Health officials have urged vaccination as the most successful way to prevent the spread of measles.