Health officials warn of a potential outbreak after an unvaccinated child arrived at JFK Airport, exposing travelers. Passengers from the affected flight and shuttle bus are urged to get tested.
United States: Health authorities have declared an active measles outbreak risk at the New York JFK International Airport.
Medical professionals have confirmed a highly contagious illness in a child who took China Airlines to reach his destination.
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After arriving at Terminal 4, the patient visited two medical facilities until being diagnosed with the illness.
The shuttle bus route passengers need to undergo testing for a disease from the February 25 period starting at 9:30 pm through 3:15 am, according to public health officials.
The officials are trying to determine which patients came into contact with the unvaccinated US citizen child, Daily Mail reported.
One of two persons found with measles after arriving at LAX on the Korean Air flight from Seoul tested positive for the disease on February 19.
Measles outbreak in US
A substantial Texas measles outbreak affected at least 173 individuals along with two documented fatalities while becoming the first American reported deaths from measles within this decade.
The newly appointed health chief, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has persistently opposed vaccines, expresses his support for immunization.
Multiple experts agree that declining vaccination levels have made the United States susceptible to increased occurrences of disease outbreaks.
The transmission of measles occurs through contaminated airborne droplets spread by patient coughs and sneezes as well as breathing activities.
This disease remains one of the most contagious illnesses in global society since an infected person can transmit it to nine out of ten people in the surrounding region.
Hospitalization affects four out of ten patients in the US, while the disease proves fatal for approximately three persons out of one thousand treated patients who experience dangerous swelling of their brains.
The time for infectious droplets to remain airborne reaches two hours, while the disease can show its symptoms between seven to 14 days following infection, Daily Mail reported.
Most individuals develop a fever, cough, and runny nose, which further turns into a rash, starting at the hairline, to the neck and trunk, and leading its way to till feet.
