Virginia health officials confirm measles case at major international airport
Virginia officials announced there was a confirmed case of measles at Washington Dulles International Airport last week, and now they are trying to track down anyone who may have been exposed to the highly contagious virus.
The Virginia Department of Health said Sunday that it was notified of the confirmed case, which involved an individual returning from an international trip on March 5.
Officials added that the potential exposure site includes Terminal A, transportation to the main terminal and the baggage claim area, all between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. that day.
Health officials are working to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the virus, which involves individuals at the airport and passengers on specific flights.
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This is the latest incident involving measles, which is spreading across the U.S.
A student in Miami-Dade County, Florida, tested positive for the disease last week, and on Wednesday, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said it was possible there "may be more" cases.
Meanwhile, Texas has reported the highest number of measles cases since January, marking 198 infected people as of Friday morning, which includes 23 hospitalizations, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
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Most of the cases were detected in unvaccinated, school-aged children — which included one child who died from the disease.
New Mexico also reported its first measles death on Thursday in an unvaccinated adult, according to state officials.
In a recent Fox News Digital op-ed, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. shared his "deep concern" about the measles outbreak and its rapid escalation.
Kennedy noted that while there is no approved antiviral for measles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement last week supporting the administration of vitamin A under physician supervision as supportive care.
Previous research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology has shown that vitamin A, in conjunction with the measles vaccine, can be an effective intervention in preventing measles mortality in children.
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Kennedy reiterated the importance of maintaining good nutrition and consuming various vitamins — like A, B12, C, D and E — as the "best defense against" chronic and infectious illness.
He also told Fox News that he recommends measles vaccines for community immunity during the outbreak, but he also continues to advocate for personal choice.
"We’re going to do what’s right for the American people," Kennedy told Marc Siegel, Fox News' senior medical analyst.
"We’re going to be honest with the American people for the first time in history about all the tests, about all the studies, what we know, what we don’t know, and that’s going to anger some people who want an ideological approach to public health,'" the HHS secretary continued.
Still, the CDC recommends "all children get two doses of MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine," according to its website, adding that adults who don’t have "presumptive evidence of immunity should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine."
Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.