Travelers who passed the Newark Liberty International Airport on Christmas eve might have been exposed to measles from a passenger from Brussels who was ill with the highly contagious illness.

Measles Public Health Alert

The New Jersey Department of Health is warning members of the public who were at the Newark Liberty International Airport on Christmas eve that they might have been exposed to measles through an ill traveler. The said traveler arrived at Terminal B on a flight from Brussels, and might have visited other parts of the airport as well.

As such, anyone who was at the airport from noon to 4 p.m. may have been exposed to the illness, and New Jersey residents who are deemed as potentially exposed will be contacted by the health department. Furthermore, anyone who thinks they might have been exposed must immediately contact a health care provider before directly going to a clinic or emergency department.

If exposed, a person could develop symptoms as late as Jan. 14. The case is unrelated to the ongoing measles outbreak in Ocean County where 30 cases have already been reported.

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of the infected individual, and may be passed to other people when a person breathes in contaminated air or touches contaminated surfaces. Infected persons may spread the virus to others from four days before to four days after the rash develops.

The virus can live for up to two hours in the airspace where the infected individual coughed or sneezed. It is so contagious that an infected person may pass it to 90 percent of the people close to them who are not immunized.

As such, authorities are urging members of the public to get vaccinated against measles.

“Getting vaccinated not only protects you, it protects others around you who are too young to get the vaccine or can’t receive it for medical reasons. If you’re planning an international trip, the World Health Organization recommends that adults or adolescents unsure of their immune status get a dose of measles vaccine before traveling,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan.