Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is advising residents about a potential exposure to measles in northern Virginia. Although the potential exposure did not occur in Alexandria, residents may have been exposed if they were present at the sites/times listed below.

Full details are available in a news release from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) titled, “Virginia Health Officials Investigating Another Potential Measles Exposure in Northern Virginia.”

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) was notified of a confirmed case of measles that traveled through Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday, August 12. The confirmed case is a resident of another state. Health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed, including contacting potentially exposed passengers on specific flights.

Listed below is the date, time, and location of the potential exposure sites in Virginia:

• Dulles International Airport (IAD) on Tuesday, August 12: in the main terminal, at the TSA security checkpoint, in Concourse B, and on transportation from the main terminal to Concourse B between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

All people who may have been exposed should review the news release for recommended actions. Actions are summarized below: 

• Exposed people who have had recommended doses of a measles-containing vaccine like the MMR vaccine or were born before 1957 do not need to take action.
• Exposed people who are not fully vaccinated against measles and born after 1957 should watch out for symptoms for 21 days from the date of your potential exposure. Symptoms include a runny nose, fever above 101 degrees, cough, watery red eyes, and rash. If symptoms appear, contact a health care provider right away.  If you need to seek care, call ahead before going to your provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
• Those who may be immunocompromised should talk to a health care provider about specific recommendations.  
• If you have received only one dose of a measles-containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve the highest level of protection, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second vaccine dose.

To date in 2025, Virginia has three reported cases of measles. With these cases, Alexandria Health Department is encouraging all Alexandrians to make sure they’ve received recommended immunizations to protect themselves and their family members against the measles virus. 

If needed, residents should book immunizations through their health care providers, pharmacies, or Alexandria Health Department's immunization clinic. Visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/Immunization for more information on recommended vaccines and how to get them. 

To check your immunization status, ask your healthcare provider or use the VDH measles vaccine record portal to see your Virginia vaccine record. Alexandria residents with additional questions about their potential exposure can email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov or contact Alexandria Health Department at 703.746.4988 Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

More information about measles, symptoms, and vaccination is available on the VDH measles website.  

If you prefer communication in another language, free interpretation and translation services are available to you. Please email LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.3960.

For media inquiries only, please contact Eve Elliott at 804.467.5160 or email eve.elliott@vdh.virginia.gov.