Some travelers at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport may have been exposed to measles

Some travelers who came through the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport late last month may have been exposed to measles, Ohio and Kentucky health officials warned.

Visitors to CVG Airport in Hebron between 5 and 9 p.m. Jan. 27 and between 8:30 and 11:30 p.m. Jan. 29 could have been exposed in Terminal A, the Ohio Department of Health said Monday.

The department said it was notifying people “out of an abundance of caution.”

The potential exposure is linked to a child from Montgomery County, Ohio, who was determined to have the first case of measles reported in Ohio this year, according to the health department.

There have been no confirmed cases of measles in Kentucky so far this year, the Kentucky Department for Public Health said in a news release.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health said it is working with Ohio health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify passengers on specific flights and people who might have been exposed at the airport, the release stated.

Some people might also have been exposed Jan. 29, 30 and 31 in the emergency department at Dayton Children’s Hospital, where the child was evaluated, Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County said in a news release Monday.

“Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that is spread through the air,” Kentucky Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said in a news release. “Early symptoms of measles are typical of many upper respiratory illnesses – fever, cough, watery eyes and runny nose – and proceed to the characteristic rash three to five days after symptoms begin.”

Symptoms usually start seven to 14 days after exposure, the Northern Kentucky Health Department said in a Facebook post.

Stack said anyone who was at the airport during the windows of time when exposure might have occurred who develops symptoms should isolate themselves and call a medical provider to be tested. He said people who think they could have measles should not show up at a medical facility without calling first, so precautions can be taken to prevent others from being exposed.

The measles vaccine, given along with the vaccine for mumps and rubella, is about 97% effective at preventing measles, according to the CDC. A first dose of the MMR vaccine is typically given to children between 12 and 15 months old, with a second dose between 4 and 6 years old.

People who have been vaccinated are at low risk for developing the illness, according to the Northern Kentucky Health Department.