Philadelphia health officials are warning travelers, hospital visitors, and residents about two unrelated measles exposures at Philadelphia International Airport and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The airport exposure involved an infected traveler who passed through Terminals B and F, along with connecting areas used by passengers traveling through Terminals C, D and E.
The person was inside the airport from 7:25 p.m. Sept. 13 until 12:05 a.m. Sept. 14. Officials said the traveler remained inside the airport and did not enter other parts of Philadelphia.
The airport case was separate from an exposure reported at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia involving another infected person who visited several hospital areas Sept. 11.
Possible exposure locations included NICU West, the NICU West Family Lounge and the hospital’s main atrium from 9:30 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. The main cafeteria was also affected between 12:05 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and hospital officials are working to identify infants who may have been exposed. Those children may receive a preventive antibody treatment intended to stop infection or reduce the severity of the disease.
Officials stressed that entering one of the listed locations does not mean a person contracted measles. People who have received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine generally do not need to take further action.
People are also generally considered immune if they were born before 1957 or have documented evidence of a previous measles infection.
Anyone who is not immune or is uncertain about vaccination status should contact a health care provider. Officials said parents of exposed infants, pregnant women without immunity and people with weakened immune systems should seek guidance promptly because post-exposure treatment may still be available.
Philadelphia’s Health Department advised nonimmune people exposed at the hospital to remain home and monitor for symptoms through Oct. 2. The corresponding monitoring period for the airport exposure continues through Oct. 5.
People who develop symptoms should call their health care provider before visiting a clinic, doctor’s office or hospital. Calling ahead allows medical staff to take precautions and reduce the risk of exposing additional patients.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. The virus can remain infectious in an enclosed airspace for up to two hours after the infected person leaves.
Symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after exposure. Early signs include fever, coughing, a runny nose and red or watery eyes. A rash generally begins on the face several days later before spreading down the body.
Serious complications can include pneumonia, brain inflammation and death. Infants, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems face an elevated risk of severe illness.
Two MMR vaccine doses are about 97% effective at preventing measles, while one dose provides approximately 93% protection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, per the Conservative Brief.
The warnings come amid a major Pennsylvania outbreak. The state Health Department reported Wednesday that 835 cases had been confirmed across 39 counties during 2026, including 164 hospitalizations and four measles-associated deaths.
State officials said only four confirmed patients had been appropriately vaccinated for their ages, representing less than 1% of Pennsylvania’s cases.
