Health Officials Warn Residents of Exposure to Measles | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH     The Guilford County Health Department and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are alerting residents of a potential exposure to measles in the Greensboro area. A patient with laboratory-confirmed measles traveled through Guilford County Oct. 2-3 while infectious.

    People may have been exposed at the following locations, dates and times:

    Piedmont Triad International Airport

• Oct. 2, 11:15 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
• Oct. 3, 1:45 p.m. -4:45 p.m.

    Greensboro Wyndham Garden Hotel

• Oct. 2, 11:30 p.m.-midnight
• Oct. 3, midnight-4 p.m.

    There is no ongoing risk of exposure at any of these locations. However, if you have not been vaccinated against measles and were at either of these location during the time frames listed above, call the Guilford County Health Department at 336-641-7777 during business hours, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and at 336-641-2697 after-hours and on weekends and contact your doctor as soon as possible. People who have received at least one dose of measles containing vaccine or who were born before 1957 are considered protected.

    Measles is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms begin seven to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. These symptoms are followed three to five days later by a rash that typically appears first on the head, and then spreads to the rest of the body. People with measles are usually contagious for four days before and four days after the rash appears.

    If you experience symptoms of measles call your doctor right away. Do not go to the hospital or a doctor's office without calling first to avoid putting other patients at risk. Your doctor can make special arrangements to evaluate you.

    Vaccination is the best protection from measles. One dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is about 93 percent effective and two doses are about 97 percent effective at preventing a person from contracting the disease if they are exposed.

    More information about measles is available at https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/measles.html and https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/faqs.html.

• NC Department of Health and Human Services
• 2001 Mail Service Center
• Raleigh, NC 27699-2001
• Ph: (919) 855-4840
• news@dhhs.nc.gov