July 12, 2024
Media Contact: Ryan Hudson, rhudson@arlingtonva.us
Officials Investigating Potential Measles Exposures in Arlington
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Public Health Division (ACPHD) was notified of a confirmed case of measles in a person who visited a grocery store in Arlington while contagious. The case is a resident of another state. Out of an abundance of caution, ACPHD is informing people who were at this location that they may have been exposed.
Listed below are the date, times, and location of the potential exposure site associated with this case of measles:
- Harris Teeter: 624B N Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22203, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., on Mon., July 1, 2024
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages.
In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after being exposed. The second stage starts 3 to 5 days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spread to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from 4 days before the rash appears through 4 days after the rash appeared.
What should you do if you were at one of the above locations on the day and time specified?
- If you have never received a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles only vaccine which is available in other countries), you may be at risk of developing measles. Anyone who was exposed and is at risk of developing measles should watch for symptoms until July 22, 2024. If you notice the symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home and away from others. Contact your healthcare provider right away. Call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the health department. This will help protect other patients and staff.
- If you have received two doses of a measles containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any action.
- 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 complete immunity, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
- If you have an immunocompromising condition, please consult with your healthcare provider if you have questions or develop symptoms.
Measles is preventable through a safe and effective MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are given to provide lifetime protection. Virginia has high measles vaccination rates, with approximately 95% of kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles. However, infants younger than 12 months of age are too young to be vaccinated. These infants, and others who are not vaccinated, are very susceptible to infection if they are exposed to someone with measles.
If you or your child have not yet been vaccinated, call the Arlington County Public Health Division or your healthcare provider to get the first of two doses as soon as possible. To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request records from the VDH Immunization Record Request Form.
Healthcare providers should maintain an increased index of suspicion for measles in clinically compatible cases at all times, especially if patients were recently exposed. Measles is an immediately reportable disease. Contact the local health department right away to report any suspected cases and arrange for public health testing.
If you have any questions about this potential exposure, please contact the Arlington County Public Health’s Communicable Disease Programs at 703-228-5657.