By Gabe Whisnant
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A passenger had a confirmed case of measles on a connecting flight into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) earlier this month, according to public health officials.
According to a press release from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, the passenger arrived at Gate 156 at the Tom Bradley International Terminal on May 19 around 3 p.m. PST aboard a Lufthansa flight. According to FlightAware, an online flight tracking service, the flight was on the airline's Munich to Los Angeles route. Five hours later, the passenger connected to a flight to Fresno, California, at Terminal 7, Gate 82.
Individuals who were at the above LAX terminals from approximately 3:04 p.m. to 9 p.m. PST may be at risk of developing measles due to exposure to this traveler, according to the press release. Exposed individuals should confirm if they have been vaccinated against measles, or if they have had measles in the past.
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There are no additional locations where possible exposures to this traveler may have occurred, according to reports.
In collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), passengers assigned to specific seats that may been exposed on the Lufthansa flights on May 18-19 will be notified of exposure by local health officials.
"Measles is spread by air and by direct contact even before you know you have it and can lead to severe disease," Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer, said in the press release. "Measles is highly contagious for those who are not immune to it. Initially causing fever, cough, red, watery eyes, and followed by a rash, it can result in serious complications for young children and vulnerable adults."
Newsweek emailed the CDC for additional comments Monday afternoon. This article will be updated with any provided comments.
The L.A. Department of Public Health told Newsweek Tuesday via email that it had no additional comments and referred to the press release issued Sunday.
Measles is a contagious respiratory infection that causes a rash and fever, and can lead to pneumonia and other complications. Symptoms include high fever, rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes.
It spreads through the air via coughs or sneezes. A nonimmune individual can contract the infection up to two hours after an infected person was in the same room. Infected individuals can also spread measles four days before a rash ever appears, and four days after it does appear.
According to the CDC, as of May 23, a total of 142 measles cases were reported by 21 states so far this year.
There have been 10 outbreaks (defined as three or more related cases) reported in 2024, and 68 percent of cases (97 of 142) are outbreak-associated. For comparison, four outbreaks were reported during 2023 and 48 percent of cases (28 of 58) were outbreak-associated.
The worst-affected age group is those aged under 5 years old, representing 47 percent of cases. In comparison, the 5-19 years age group represents 22 percent of cases and the 20 years-plus age group represents 31 percent of cases.
The CDC also noted that 82 percent of cases have been detected in the unvaccinated or those whose vaccination status was unknown. It also warned that the vaccination coverage among U.S. children in kindergarten has decreased from 95.2 percent during the 2019-2020 school year to 93.1 percent in 2022-2023, leaving around 250,000 children at risk.
The disease was officially eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning that it is no longer constantly present and only appears when someone contracts the disease abroad and returns to the country.
The CDC told Newsweek in April that while importations of measles cases into the U.S. are expected to continue, the risk from measles "for the majority of the population would still remain low... because most people in the U.S. are vaccinated."
It added: "If measles re-establishes itself by having ongoing circulation, the U.S. will lose its elimination status. CDC defines measles elimination as the absence of continuous disease transmission for 12 months or more in a specific geographic area.
"Even though we still have measles cases in the U.S., the majority of cases can be linked back to travelers who become infected with measles in other countries."
Update: 5/28/2024, 3:03 p.m. EST: This story was updated with additional information.
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