The Shadow
RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is reporting the state’s second measles case of 2026. The patient is a preschool-age child (0-4 years) in the Northern Region who recently traveled internationally. To protect the patient’s privacy, VDH will not provide any additional information about the patient. Virginia health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed.
Listed below are the date, times, and location of the potential exposure site in Virginia:
- Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center Emergency Department and Executive Medicine Suite, located at 9300 DeWitt Loop in Fort Belvoir, Friday, January 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight.
In addition to the above location in Virginia, there is a potential exposure on a train that traveled through several nearby states and Washington, DC as listed below:
- Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 175, from William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, Philadelphia, PA at 9 p.m. to Washington Union Station at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 7.
Additional exposure sites related to this case have been identified in other states.
To date in 2026, Virginia has reported two cases of measles. Any additional exposure sites identified in Virginia will be posted to the VDH Measles website.
What to Do If You Have Been Exposed to Measles
Most people in Virginia have immunity to measles through vaccination, so the risk to the general public is low. However, anyone who was at the potential exposure sites at the times listed should:
- Find out if you have been vaccinated for measles or have had measles previously. Make sure you are up to date with the recommended number of measles (MMR) vaccinations.
- To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request records through the VDH Record Request Portal.
- If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are considered protected.
- Anyone who might have been exposed and is considered to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider promptly to discuss any questions they might have. People who are not immune to measles might qualify for post-exposure treatments. There is a small timeframe within which these protective post-exposure treatments need to be given to be effective.
- Watch for symptoms of measles for 21 days after the potential exposure. Monitoring for symptoms is especially important for people who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles.
- If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away. If you need to seek healthcare, 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 and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
- The most likely time you would become sick would be between January 16 to January 30.
- Contact your local health department or email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov to discuss any additional recommendations.
General Measles Information
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually start seven to 14 days after being exposed. The second stage starts three to five days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared.
Measles is preventable through a safe and effective MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are given to provide lifetime protection. Virginia has high measles vaccination rates, with approximately 95% of kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles. However, infants who are too young to be vaccinated, and others who are not vaccinated, are at high risk of developing measles if they are exposed. Infants six months through 11 months of age who will be traveling internationally, or to an outbreak setting, should receive one dose of MMR vaccine prior to travel. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about the MMR vaccine.
For more information about measles visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles/.
