Measles Exposure Alert at Raleigh-durham International Airport

The North Carolina Department of health and human Services and Wake County Public Health have announced a confirmed measles case involving an out-of-state traveler who passed through Terminal 2 of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport on December 10, 2025, while infectious. To protect the individual’s privacy, no further identifying information will be released. Currently, there is no known ongoing health risk at the airport.

Public health officials urge all unvaccinated individuals ages one year and older to receive the measles vaccine to protect themselves and others.The measles vaccine is also recommended for infants 6-11 months who are traveling internationally or to areas experiencing measles outbreaks.

Individuals who were in Terminal 2 between 4-8 a.m. on Wednesday, December 10, may have been exposed and should monitor for measles-like symptoms until January 1, 2026. Anyone with concerns should contact their local health department. Passengers on flights taken by the infected individual are being contacted directly by their local health departments. If symptoms develop, individuals should stay home, except to seek medical care, and call ahead to their doctor or emergency room to prevent potential exposure to others.

“Measles is a highly contagious disease and it spreads quickly in children and adults who are not vaccinated,” said State epidemiologist Zack Moore, M.D, MPH.”All North Carolinians should ensure that they and their families are up to date on their MMR vaccine.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention, as of december 9, 2025, there have been 1,912 confirmed measles cases in 43 states this year – the highest number reported since the widespread adoption of the second dose of the MMR vaccine in the early 1990s. while no cases have been identified in North Carolina residents in 2025, a confirmed case was reported in June involving a child who had traveled to North Carolina from a country with recent measles outbreaks.

Measles is a respiratory disease spread through the air via coughing and sneezing, or through contact with secretions from the nose or mouth of an infected person. The virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours. Symptoms typically appear 7-14 days after exposure, but can emerge up to 21 days later, and include:

* High fever (may spike to more than 104 degrees)
* Cough