Virginia (WOAY)-The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reports the state’s first case of measles.
The patient is a young child, no older than 4 years old, in the northwest region, who recently traveled internationally.
State health officials are coordinating efforts to identify individuals who may have been exposed.
Potential dates, times, and locations of possible exposure include the Kaiser Permanente Caton Hill Medical Center Advanced Urgent Care at 13285 Minnieville Road in Woodbridge, on Tuesday, April 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Additionally, the Kaiser Permanente Fredericksburg Medical Center’s Pediatrics department, located at 1201 Hospital Drive in Fredericksburg, will be hosting an event on Wednesday, April 16, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
If you were in these locations on the specified day and time, you are advised to contact your healthcare provider immediately, especially if you have never received a measles vaccine.
Watch for symptoms for 21 days after the date of your potential exposure.
If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home.
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.
Additionally, patients should ask their providers to call the local health department to help protect other patients and staff.
Anyone with an immunocompromised condition should consult with their healthcare provider if they have questions or develop symptoms.
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 the highest level of protection, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
