The Fairfax County Health Department in Virginia said it has identified a case of measles in the Fairfax Health District.
In a statement Monday, the department said that the patient was unvaccinated and had recently traveled internationally. The department is reaching out to people who were in close contact, and giving advice for people to keep themselves safe.
So far, the Health Department said, it can trace the infected person to the Grand Centreville Plaza, on Braddock Road, on Feb. 1 between 11:45 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and again on Feb. 3 from 2:15 to 5 p.m.; and then at the pediatric and adult emergency departments of Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church on Feb. 3, between 5:30 and 9 p.m.
Measles is characterized by a rash beginning on the face and a fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles is highly infectious, but symptoms can take a long time to develop, the Health Department said. People exposed to this case, it said, could take until Feb. 24 to develop symptoms.
