Travellers have been warned of possible measles exposure at Philadelphia airport after a person carrying the viral disease passed through the hub.

The incident took place in terminals B and F, and in areas used to connect to other terminals in C, D and E between Sunday, 13 September from 7.25pm to Monday, 14 September at 12.05am.

The individual with measles was travelling through Philadelphia and did not leave the airport.

The city’s health department confirmed that this is a separate measles case not connected to a recent outbreak at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

People who were at the airport on those dates are being asked to check their vaccination status and watch for symptoms.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that is spread through the air when infected people cough, sneeze or talk.

Unvaccinated people can catch the virus within two hours of sharing the same room or air space as those who are infected .

Early symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash.

In severe cases, measles can lead to pneumonia, brain infection and death.

“This week’s measles exposures are a reminder of how important it is for all of us to be up to date on our vaccinations,” said Philadelphia’s health commissioner Dr Palak Raval-Nelson.

“Every Philadelphian who is fully vaccinated has little to fear from the situation at CHOP and the airport. Even more importantly, every one of those people is doing their part to help protect our most vulnerable from measles.”

Advice suggests that anyone who is not immune, is unsure of their vaccination status, is an infant, is pregnant and not immune, or is immunocompromised should contact their healthcare provider as soon as possible.

The exposure comes after a resurgence of measles cases across the US, with 3,472 cases recorded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2026, an increase of more than 1,000 cases compared to last year.

Of all 2026 cases, 95 per cent of people were unvaccinated, or their vaccination status was unknown.

There has been one measles death recorded so far by the CDC this year.

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