Passenger potentially exposed O'Hare travelers to measles

A passenger on flights to and from O'Hare International Airport last week may have exposed others to measles, state health officials said.

The passenger arrived Wednesday on an international flight at Terminal 5 and departed later that day on a domestic flight from Terminal 1, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The passenger was infectious at the time and could have exposed people in the airport to the highly contagious disease between 6:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Anyone who thinks he might have been exposed is encouraged to contact a health care provider. People who have not been vaccinated are of most concern, health officials said.

Local health departments are also working to notify Illinois residents who were on the infected passenger's flights.

The vires is spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes, or through contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person, health department officials said. Symptoms include a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.

Those who were infected by the passenger at O'Hare might not develop symptoms until the end of the month, health officials said.

People who have been routinely vaccinated as children are not at high risk. Two doses of measles vaccines are about 97 percent effective in preventing the disease, said Dr. Jennifer Layden, the health department's chief medical officer.

"Getting vaccinated not only protects you, it protects others around you who are too young to get the vaccine or can't receive it for medical reasons," she said.