Passenger with measles exposes others in Portland, Seattle
01:52 PM PDT on Tuesday, April 8, 2008
By TERESA BLACKMAN, kgw.com Staff
A woman sick with measles flew into Portland in late March, exposing other passengers to the contagious and potentially deadly disease.
The woman, whose name was not released, flew from Amsterdam to Seattle on Northwest Flight 33 on March 26. Then, she boarded a smaller plane and flew from Seattle to Portland on Horizon AirlinesÂ’ Flight 2243.
Authorities said the woman, in her 20s, developed a rash on March 28. The next day, she boarded a plane in Portland and flew back to Amsterdam on Northwest Airlines Flight 92.
Once she reached the Netherlands, she had blood tests that confirmed the diagnosis of measles on April 4.
Most persons born before 1957 had the disease in childhood, and younger persons are routinely vaccinated against measles, both of which provide protection against the disease. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was warning any passengers on the same flights to contact their local health department if they have concerns or have experienced symptoms of the disease.
Measles is a highly infectious and usually severe illness that causes fever, rash, cough, and red, watery eyes. The rash begins on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. Fever (often greater than 101° F), cough and other symptoms begin two to four days before the rash appears.
Measles symptoms begin seven to 21 days after the exposure to measles occurred. Measles is contagious from approximately four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appears. People can spread measles before they have the characteristic measles rash.
Measles spreads easily among susceptible persons and can result in serious infections complicated by pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures, and death.