Major US airport on red alert as foreign traveler brings in deadly disease and infects unknown number
Health officials have warned of a potential measles outbreak at Los Angeles International airport.
A passenger arriving on a Korean Air flight from Seoul to the US tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory illness, which is currently ripping its way through Texas with two reportedly dead in its wake.
Travelers who were in Terminal B on February 19 during the hours of 1pm to 4pm have been warned that they could be at high risk of the virus.
The airport is working with the CDC to notify passengers on the flight who might have been close enough to the infected traveler to contract the disease.
Passengers who believe they were exposed to the virus at Los Angeles airport have been advised to confirm if they have been vaccinated against measles.
Experts warn the US is currently vulnerable to measles outbreaks because of falling vaccination rates. America suffered its first fatality from the disease in a decade this week after the death of an unvaccinated child in Texas.
Measles is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.
Health officials have warned of a potential measles outbreak at Los Angeles International airport
The disease causes tiny white spots inside the mouth, flat red spots on the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet, ear infections and an intense fever.
In extreme cases, measles can cause pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and may lead to death.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says LAX passengers who have not been vaccinated ‘are at risk of contracting measles if they have been exposed’.
Health experts say they should monitor for symptoms, with these generally developing 7 to 21 days after exposure.
Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles before a rash develops.
Exposed individuals who have been free of symptoms for more than 21 days (up to March 11) should no longer be at risk.
Commenting on the situation, Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis said: ‘Measles is a serious respiratory disease that spreads easily through the air and on surfaces, particularly among people who are not already protected from it.
‘A person can spread the illness to others before they have symptoms, and it can take seven to 21 days for symptoms to show up after exposure.
‘Measles can lead to severe disease in young children and vulnerable adults.
‘The best way to protect yourself and your family from infection is with the highly effective measles vaccine.’
The ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas has reached a staggering 124 cases, making it the largest cluster in the state in the past three decades
Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles
It comes hours after officials confirmed one measles-related death in West Texas, marking the first fatality in the US since 2015.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield confirmed one death on Wednesday, which occurred overnight.
A public health official said in a statement it was a Gaines County resident who died in a hospital in Lubbock.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the death was in a ‘school-aged child who was not vaccinated’ and had been hospitalized last week.
Overall, officials have confirmed measles cases have reached at least 124 as of February 25. Overall, 18 people have been hospitalized.
Sixty-two cases are in children between the ages of five and 17 and 39 are in toddlers four years and younger.
Only five of those infected have been vaccinated with the measles (MMR) vaccine. The majority are unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown.
The death marks the first in the US since 2015, according to the CDC.
The measles vaccine (MMR) is 97 percent effective at preventing the virus and is required for children to attend school, but some states, including Texas, allow exemptions based on religious reasons.
Across the country, the percentage of children seeking exemptions has risen over the past decade, from 0.76 percent in 2014 to 3.3 percent during the 2023-2024 school year.
According to the CDC, in 2024 vaccination coverage among kindergartners declined for all shots – down to 93 percent for MMR.
Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Human and Health Services reports 91 percent of kids had received the MMR shot, which is below the ideal vaccination rate.
Ninety-four percent coverage is considered the standard for herd immunity.
