Health Officials Warn of Measles Exposure on Southbound Amtrak Train to Washington, D.C.

Health officials in Washington, D.C. are warning the public about a potential measles exposure in the capital.

The DC Department of Health announced in a news release that a person who was confirmed to have had measles “visited multiple locations” in Washington, D.C. “while contagious” and is issuing a warning to people who may have been exposed.

Health officials said that people at risk of exposure traveled on the Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train Southbound on March 19 from 7:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. the next day and were on the Amtrak Concourse at Union Station between 11 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. 

They also said that anyone who visited MedStar Urgent Care Adams Morgan in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 22, between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. may have been exposed to the virus. 

Measles “is a highly contagious illness” that can spread through the air “when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes,” according to the DC Department of Health. Health officials noted that people who develop a rash from measles can be contagious for several days before the rash appears on a person's body.

They also said that virus symptoms “usually appear in two stages,” with symptoms including a high fever, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough presenting itself about 7 to 14 days after exposure. In the second stage — which happens about 3-5 days after symptoms start — a “rash begins to appear on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.”

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Anyone who might have been exposed to the passenger who has not received a measles vaccine or is immunocompromised should contact a health provider or call 844-493-2652, health officials say. “Anyone who was exposed and is at risk of developing measles should watch for symptoms until 21 days following the date of their last exposure."

Health officials also noted that people who received two doses of the "MMR vaccine" are "protected" from the virus "and do not need to take any action."

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as of March 20, there ha been a total of 378 confirmed measles cases this year throughout the U.S., including in Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, and New York City, as of March 20.

A majority of the cases are in people under 19, but 23% of cases were in people aged 20 and older. The CDC noted that in almost all the cases (about 95%), the person who was infected with measles was not vaccinated.