HEBRON, Ky. — There may have been a measles exposure at CVG over a weekend in January, according to Ohio Health Department officials.
According to ODH, it's possible people traveling through CVG could have been exposed to the measles in Terminal A during certain times on January 27 and again on January 29:
- January 27 between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- January 29 between 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
ODH said it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with other state and local health officials, to identify anyone who may have been exposed — including potentially exposed passengers on specific flights.
Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people develop a fever higher than 101 degrees, a runny nose, watery eyes and a cough. Those symptoms can begin 7 to 14 days after being exposed, ODH said.
The second stage of symptoms begins 3 to 5 days after symptoms start. During this stage, a rash begins to appear on the face, spreading to the rest of the body.
People who contract measles are contagious from four days before that rash appears through four days afterward. The measles virus can live for up to two hours in air where an infected person coughed or sneezed.
It's considered extremely contagious — up to 90% of unvaccinated people who come into contact with an infected person are likely to contract the illness.
The exposure at CVG announced by ODH on Monday is tied to a Montgomery County child who has become the state's first measles case.
Overall, Ohio had just one measles case in 2023, but an outbreak in 2022 fueled more cases; the state saw 90 total that year, 85 spurred by the outbreak in central Ohio.
"Measles can be a very serious illness for anyone," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health. "The key to preventing measles is vaccination. If you are not vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to get the vaccine."
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