Measles case confirmed in Mass.; others may have been exposed in Lexington, at Logan Airport

A dose of measles vaccine.Joe Raedle/Getty Images/File 2014

State health authorities have confirmed a case of measles and are warning that others may have been exposed to the disease at Boston’s Logan Airport, among other locations in Massachusetts.

In a statement, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said the individual who was diagnosed with measles at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center “was in a number of locations that could have resulted in exposures to other people.”

Those locations include Logan’s Terminal B between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 15, the Lexington High School Library between 3:30 and 5:30 the following afternoon, Lexington’s Irving H. Mabee Town Pool Complex from noon to 2 p.m. on Aug. 19, a Lahey outpatient center in Lexington from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 20, and Lahey Hospital & Medical Center’s emergency department in Burlington on Aug. 20 from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., along with certain in-patient units at the hospital from the night of Aug. 20 to the night of Aug. 21.

Measles, according to DPH’s statement, is very contagious and people who are not immune who visited those locations during those dates and times may be at risk.

“Anyone who visited these locations on any of these dates during the times listed is advised to contact their health care provider to confirm their immunization status,” the statement said.

Lahey Hospital has reached out to people who are at high risk of exposure.

Early symptoms of measles, according to the state, occur 10 days to two weeks after exposure and may resemble a cold, with a fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. A rash occurs on the skin two to four days after initial symptoms develop. The rash usually appears first on the head and then moves downward, and typically lasts a few days. People with measles may be contagious for up to four days before the rash appears, and for four days after the rash becomes visible.

“Fortunately, most people have been vaccinated against measles,” state epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown said in a statement. “Our efforts now are to identify people who may be at risk of getting ill and to get them vaccinated.”