Officials warn of Sea-Tac measles exposure
Jan 25, 2013, 5:26 PM | Updated: 5:34 pm
Local health officials are warning people who were at Sea-Tac Airport on January 18 to make sure they’re vaccinated for measles.
That’s after a person traveling from Amsterdam through Seattle to Portland was diagnosed with the highly contagious disease that mainly spreads through the air after a sneeze or a cough.
James Apa with Public Health Seattle and King County says people in the following areas between 11:30am and 6:30pm need to know their vaccination status:
- S Gate
- South Train
- Main Terminal South Station
- Train between South and North Station
- Main Terminal North Station
- North Train
- N Gate
“The good news is that most people in our area have immunity to the measles so the risk to the general public is low,” Apa says.
Officials say anyone at Sea-Tac Airport on that day should call a health care provider promptly if they develop an illness with fever or unexplained rash.
Apa says after arriving in Oregon, the traveler received medical attention and was diagnosed on January 23.
Health authorities in Oregon, Washington and at the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were notified. The CDC is following up to notify all the travelers on the same flights.
