Health officials trigger infectious disease warning after traveller tests positive
Officials said the passenger likely picked up the infection while travelling in Europe.
Health officials have triggered an infectious disease warning after a traveller who recently returned to the United States tested positive for measles.
Public Health - Seattle & King County warned passengers transiting through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on May 10 and 11 may have come into contact with the infected traveller.
The warning comes weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert noting that the number of recorded cases of measles in 2024 so far had already matched reported cases through the whole of 2023.
Public health officials confirmed the infected individual, who is originally from Arizona, had travelled through the airport between May 10 and 11.
They did not share details about the persons' vaccination status. They said the person likely caught measles while in Europe.
Officials said the infected individual had used the S Concourse (Gate S1) between 5:30 pm and 9:30 pm local time on May 10 before going through customs.
The traveller collected their baggage from Carousel 19 before leaving the airport. The following day, they returned between 7.30am and 11.30am and transited through the A Concourse.
Seattle health officials said people who believe they may have come into contact with the infected individual should check they have either been vaccinated or had measles previously.
Should they develop an illness manifesting with fever or an unexplained rash, they should immediately call their healthcare provider and avoid heading to a clinic or hospital before informing staff about the potential infection.
Contact with other individuals, especially those without known immunity, should be avoided.
Officials warned those who were at Seattle-Tacoma Airport at the listed times are most likely to develop measles symptoms up to June 1, 2024.
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Immunocompromised individuals, however, may take longer to experience measles symptoms.
In its latest measles update, the CDC warned cases this year had already matched reported infections across all of 2023.
They said: "From January 1 to March 14, 2024, CDC has been notified of 58 confirmed US cases of measles across 17 jurisdictions, including seven outbreaks in seven jurisdictions compared to 58 total cases and four outbreaks reported the entire year in 2023.
"Among the 58 cases reported in 2024, 54 (93 percent) were linked to international travel,
"Many countries, including travel destinations such as Austria, the Philippines, Romania, and the United Kingdom, are experiencing measles outbreaks."
The CDC warned that measles is a "highly contagious viral illness" that can result in "severe health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and death, especially in unvaccinated persons."