FRANKFORT, Ky. — If you traveled through the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport last week, there's a chance you may have been exposed to measles, according to health officials.
The Ohio Department of Health confirmed a child from Montgomery County has contracted measles and recently traveled through the airport in Boone County, Kentucky.
Kentucky and Ohio health officials, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are looking for anyone who may have been potentially exposed.
If you were at the airport on Jan. 27 between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. and Jan. 29 between 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and/or were passengers on specific flights, you may have been exposed. Officials did not provide any details about the specific flights.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) said, at this time, there are no confirmed cases of measles in Kentucky.
KDPH Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that spreads through the air.
Symptoms of measles include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Watery eyes
- Runny nose
- Three to five days after symptoms first appear, the characteristic rash appears
What to do if I may have been exposed to measles?
Stack said anyone who has developed symptoms of measles and were at the airport during the date(s)/time(s) of exposure should isolate from other and call a medical provider, urgent care clinic, or emergency department to seek testing.
Do not arrive at a health care facility without advance notice so others aren't exposed.
The virus spreads when an infected person sneezes or coughs. It can remain in the air for up to two hours.
According to the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, measles infections can last for several weeks.
In the U.S., the first dose of measles vaccine is routinely administered in combination with mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) to children at age 12 months through 15 months. A second dose is routinely administered at age 4 through 6 years.
Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles if exposed to the virus.
If you or your child have not been vaccinated, click here to find a vaccination locations and more information about measles.
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