Health Officials Warn Actively Contagious Person with Measles Traveled Through Billings Airport
An out-of-state visitor who traveled through Billings was contagious with measles while at the Billings Logan International Airport on Monday, May 26.
RiverStone Health, as the Yellowstone City-County Health Department, was notified June 16 by Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services that the individual became ill on their return home and tested positive for measles on Sunday, June 1.
RiverStone Health is asking anyone who was in the airport, including the baggage claim/car rental area between 2:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on Monday, May 26 and then became ill with any symptoms of measles, to call the measles information line at 406-247-3396.
Measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red/watery eyes, spots in the mouth, or a rash that begins on the face and spreads down to the rest of the body.
Measles is very contagious. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get measles just by being in a room where a person with the virus has been. This can happen even up to two hours after that person has left. It is so contagious that if one person has it, 9 out of 10 people around that person will also become infected if not vaccinated. An infected person can spread measles before he or she develops symptoms – from four days before developing the measles rash through four days afterward.
“Vaccination is the best form of prevention against measles,” said Jon Forte, Yellowstone County Health Officer, President and CEO of RiverStone Health. “Two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective at preventing infection, which is key to keeping the spread of measles low.”
For full protection, two doses of the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine are recommended, the first at 12 months of age and a second dose from age 4-6.
People who are unvaccinated are at a higher risk of being infected with measles and spreading it to others. They may spread measles to people who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions.
People who are vaccinated do have a small risk of getting and spreading the disease, but the symptoms are usually milder.
Because measles is highly contagious, anyone who is not vaccinated and thinks they may have been exposed should stay home and call their healthcare provider for further information about testing and how to avoid exposing others.
For more information, go to RiverStoneHealth.org/Measles or call 406-247-3396.
Wonder if the anti-vaxxers think their tin-foil hats will protect them?