Local public health officials have learned of a confirmed case of measles in a contagious traveler who arrived at Sea-Tac airport on July 4. Measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease caused by the measles virus. It is mainly spread through the air after a person with measles coughs or sneezes.

Because most people in our area have immunity to the measles through vaccination, the risk to the general public is low. However, people who were in the same locations at Sea-Tac Airport around the same time as the contagious traveler should be aware of their immunity status, monitor themselves for symptoms, and call a health care provider promptly if they develop an illness with fever or an unexplained rash illness sometime between July 11 and July 25, 2013.

People at highest risk from exposure to measles include those who are unvaccinated, pregnant women, infants under six months of age and those with weakened immune systems.

The contagious traveler flew from Beijing to Seattle on July 4. Persons who were in one of the following areas at Sea-Tac Airport between 12 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on July 4 were possibly exposed to measles:

South Satellite International Terminal Arrival Area

Immigration and primary screening

Adoption processing

Restrooms in the South Satellite

Baggage Claim/Customs Train to main terminal

Main terminal baggage claim Elevator in Main Terminal to Level 2 parking garage.

(Map of Sea-Tac Airport at: www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac/Maps-and-Directions/Pages/Terminal-Overview.aspx)

After arriving in Seattle, the traveler received medical attention and was diagnosed on July 4 and determined to be infectious beginning on July 4. Health authorities in Washington state and at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were notified. The CDC is following up to notify those on the same flights as the contagious traveler.