Newark Airport measles: People may have been exposed Christmas Eve

People at Newark Liberty International Airport might have been exposed to measles because a passenger who was on a flight from Brussels on Christmas Eve had the disease.

The flight came into Terminal B and the New Jersey Department of Health is warning people who were at the airport on Dec. 24 between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., they could have been exposed and could develop symptoms as late as Jan. 14. In a press release, the Department of Health said the individual was infections Dec. 24 and could have traveled to areas in the airport other than Terminal B.

"New Jersey residents identified as potentially exposed on the ill individual’s flights will be notified by their local health department," the release said.

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People who think they may have been exposed to the measles should call their health care provider before they go to the doctor or emergency room in an effort to protect other patients and staff from a possible infection.

Health commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said this particular case and possible exposure have nothing to do with the measles outbreaks that happened in Ocean and Passaic counties.

"Two doses of measles vaccine are about 97 percent effective in preventing measles, so I urge all residents across the state to get vaccinated to protect their health," said Elnahal.

Symptoms of measles include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. It can also cause swelling in the brain and pneumonia. Measles is spread through the air through coughing or sneezing and coming into contact with the mucus or saliva of someone who is infected. State epidemiologist Christina Tan encouraged people to make sure they are up-to-date on their measles/mumps/rubella vaccine, noting people who have not been vaccinated or not had measles are at risk if exposed.

"Getting vaccinated not only protects you, it protects others around you who are too young to get the vaccine or can’t receive it for medical reasons," Tan said.