Published January 20, 2026 at 6:30PM
Inova Fairfax Medical Campus patient drop-off (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A measles case in Northern Virginia has raised concern about more people becoming exposed to the disease, including at the Inova Fairfax Hospital campus in Merrifield.
The Virginia Department of Health reported today (Tuesday) that a preschool-aged child who traveled internationally was confirmed to have measles. This is the third measles case reported in Virginia so far in 2026.
Health officials say the latest case is unrelated to another case involving a preschool-aged child in Northern Virginia who was diagnosed on Jan. 9 after traveling internationally.
Locations that the child visited and where exposure may have occurred were:
PM Pediatric Urgent Care, Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 4-7:30 p.m.
Inova Children’s Emergency Department, 3300 Gallows Road in Falls Church: Thursday, Jan. 15, 7:30-10 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 16, 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Inova Fairfax Hospital Women’s and Children’s Building, Floors 2-10, 3300 Gallows Road in Falls Church: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2:30 a.m. to Sunday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m.
“To protect the patient’s privacy, VDH will not provide any additional information about the patient,” the state’s health department said in a news release. “Virginia health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed.”
Health officials say most people have immunity to measles by being vaccinated. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. no longer recommends certain proven childhood vaccinations, guidance supporting measles vaccines and several other diseases remains unchanged.
VDH reported five cases of measles last year and tracked several potential public exposures, including multiple cases from travelers who were infectious while passing through Dulles International Airport.
VDH encourages anyone who was at the exposure sites to:
Find out if you have been vaccinated for measles or have had measles previously. Make sure you are up to date with the recommended number of measles (MMR) vaccinations.
To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request records through the VDH Record Request Portal.
If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are considered protected and do not need to seek post-exposure treatment at this time.
People who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles should contact their healthcare provider or call their local health department People who are not immune to measles may qualify for post-exposure treatments. There is a small timeframe for these protective post-exposure treatments to be effective.
Watch for symptoms of measles for 21 days after the potential exposure. Monitoring for symptoms is especially important for people who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles.
If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
The most likely time you would become sick would be between January 20 to February 8.
Contact your local health department or email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov to discuss any additional recommendations.
