D.C. health officials confirm measles case in Amtrak passenger who rode train to the capital

CBS News

25-03-2025

A person with a confirmed measles infection may have exposed Amtrak passengers on a train to Washington, D.C., earlier this month, officials at the
D.C. Department of Health
said.
Health officials said Monday in a statement that the agency "was notified of a confirmed case of measles in a person who visited multiple locations in D.C. while contagious." Others who were at the same locations — an Amtrak train, a D.C. train station and an urgent care center — could potentially have been exposed at those times.
The measles patient rode the southbound Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 train on March 19, from 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., arriving at Union Station, the city's main train station,
the health department said. Officials said the infected person then visited a MedStar Urgent Care in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of D.C. on March 22, between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m
.
Health care providers are required to report all suspected and confirmed cases of measles to the D.C. health department.
Individuals who might have been at exposed at any of those locations are advised to contact their providers or D.C. health officials by calling 844-493-2652, although officials note that people who have been vaccinated against measles are likely protected.
Neither the identity nor a description of the individual with measles has been released, and officials have not clarified whether that person was vaccinated against the virus.
This case comes amid
a marked spike in measles infections
in the United States, which since the start of 2025 has already recorded the most measles cases in a single year since 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of those infections stemmed from a
Texas outbreak
that has sickened more than 300 people since late January and resulted in
one child's death
. An adult with measles also
died in New Mexico
.
Considered one of the most contagious infectious diseases, measles can in some instances cause severe infections that result in cognitive issues, deafness and even death. The CDC warns that roughly 1 of every 1,000 children with measles develops brain swelling that can lead to brain damage, and as many as 3 of every 1,000 children with measles dies from the disease.
A vaccine against the illness, usually administered as part of the measles-mumps-rubella or MMR shot, is
highly effective and safe
, with the CDC reporting that two doses are about 97% effective at preventing measles, and a single dose is about 93% effective. The Texas outbreak, for instance, occurred in a community with very low vaccination rates, and Texas health officials said the child who died in that outbreak was unvaccinated.
The U.S. has confirmed at least 377 measles cases so far this year, as of the latest CDC update on Friday, March 21. There have been cases in at least 16 states, including Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico and New York. The CBS News data team is tracking confirmed measles cases nationwide as state health departments and the CDC continue to release data (the map below is updated with new data from the CDC on Fridays).
Measles symptoms usually appear between 7 and 14 days after exposure to the virus,
according to the CDC
.
Symptoms can include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a rash.
The virus spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes
or talks
. Contracting the virus is also possible by entering a room where the infected person has previously been, since the virus can linger in the air for up to 2 hours after they've left, the CDC says.
Sara Moniuszko
,
Jordan Freiman
and
Taylor Johnston
contributed to this report.