Health officials warn about possible measles exposure at Wichita airport
People who were at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport from 6:15 to 9 p.m. on May 2 may have been exposed to measles, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Saturday morning.
The highly contagious respiratory virus can stay in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours, the KDHE news release says.
'KDHE is notifying the public of a possible measles exposure so that the public may take the appropriate steps to protect their health and limit the spread of measles,' the release says, adding that people who were at the airport should watch for symptoms through May 23.
The KDHE on Saturday also warned about exposure at the Hutchinson Public Library tied to a Reno County case and exposure at B & P Auto Parts in Cimarron. If you were at the library from 2 to 5 p.m. on May 3, you should check for symptoms through May 24. If you were at the auto parts store on May 2, 5 or 6, you should monitor symptoms through May 23, May 26 and May 27.
Measles symptoms include a fever, cough, sore throat and a runny nose, as well as a rash that begins on the face and moves to the neck, chest and back. It can also reach the arms and legs.
An infected person usually won't see symptoms until about 10 to 14 days after exposure, according to the Mayo Clinic, and they are contagious four days before and after symptoms begin and end.
'Sedgwick County residents who are most at risk are those who are unvaccinated or who have not had measles,' Sedgwick County spokesperson Stephanie Bergmann Birmingham said, adding that the potential exposure at the airport is not related to a Sedgwick County measles case.
If you experience symptoms, call the Sedgwick County Health Department at 316-660-5558.
The concern comes after Sedgwick County's first case since 2017 was confirmed on Wednesday. Health officials said then that anyone who visited the Carnicerías El Güero grocery store No. 1 at 524 W. 21st St. in Wichita from 6:30 to 10 p.m. April 29 may have been exposed to the virus.
There are currently 48 cases in Kansas. The first was reported in March. The KDHE said that the case in March was the first in the state since 2018, though that conflicts with the 2017 figure local health officials cite for the last case in Sedgwick County. Still, it has been several years since the last case in Kansas.
There were 1,001 confirmed cases in 31 states as of Thursday.
Contributing: Lindsay Smith with The Eagle
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