Adult in NOVA diagnosed with measles; health officials working to identify those exposed

An adult in Northern Virginia has a confirmed case of measles, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

To date in 2026, Virginia has reported five cases of measles. The other cases have all involved children under the age of four, according to VDH.

Health officials are working to identify people who may have been exposed in Herndon, Reston and Fairfax between Jan. 23 and Jan. 31.

Exposure sites in Virginia include an apartment complex, a sushi restaurant, Target, Harris Teeter and the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

There have been numerous outbreaks of measles reported in a growing number of U.S. states including Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida and South Carolina. Some of the outbreaks have occurred at a public university, in a family ICE detention center, at major airports and even at Disneyland.

The U.S. is at risk of losing its status as a country that has eliminated measles due to multiple outbreaks. A commission set up by the Pan American Health Organization will review the matter this spring. PAHO declared measles eliminated in the U.S. more than two decades ago.

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ICYMI

• Are you at risk? Person with measles travelled through Dulles Airport this month
• Child in Northern Virginia diagnosed with measles, exposure sites released
• Measles exposure possible in Virginia, North Carolina, health officials warn
• Health experts: RFK Jr., DeSantis put children’s health at risk with anti-vaccine push

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Infectious disease experts blame misinformation and a lack of trust in vaccines, driven in part by the current Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for the resurgence, according to reporting by NPR. Vaccination rates have been dropping in the U.S. in recent years.

“We maintained elimination for 25 years. And so now, to be facing its loss, it really points to the cycle of panic and neglect, where I think that we have forgotten what it’s like to face widespread measles,” Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told NPR.

Potential exposure in Virginia

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VDH has identified multiple sites where the public may have been exposed to measles including:

• Ian apartment complex: 2249 Woodland Grove Place, Herndon, Jan. 23-31
• Kumo Sushi: 2338 Woodland Crossing Drive, Herndon, Jan. 24, between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
• Target: 12197 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, Jan. 25, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Harris Teeter: 12960 Highland Crossing Drive in Herndon, Jan. 25, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
• Fairfax County Animal Shelter: West Ox Campus, 4500 West Ox Road, Fairfax, Jan. 31, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

If you believe you may have been exposed, contact the Fairfax County Health Department.

Public health officials will followup if additional actions are needed.

Symptoms usually appear 21 days after a potential exposure, according to VDH. The most likely time you would become sick from this exposure is by Feb. 21.

If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home, and contact your healthcare provider.

For more information, contact your local health department or email [email protected].