Health officials in the United States have issued urgent warnings after passengers infected with measles travelled through four major airports during the busy December holiday season. The highly contagious disease was identified in individuals at Denver International, Newark Liberty International, Boston Logan International, and Raleigh-Durham International airports.
Airports and Exposure Timelines
Denver International Airport, the nation's third busiest, was the site of a potential exposure on December 12. The infected individual, who was reportedly fully vaccinated and experienced only mild symptoms, was in the airport between 7:24 pm and 9:41 pm. Officials stated the person moved between gates B45 and B84 in Concourse B, but emphasised the risk of transmission to others was low.
On the same day, a measles patient was at Newark Liberty International Airport for a 12-hour period between 7 am and 7 pm. The person was in Terminals B and C, though specific locations within the terminals were not disclosed.
Further Cases on East Coast
At Boston Logan International Airport, a passenger with measles was present on December 11 from 2:39 pm to 4:45 pm. This individual arrived on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth. Later that evening, they stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Boston-Westborough before returning to the airport to catch a JetBlue flight to Las Vegas.
The fourth case involved a person at Raleigh-Durham International Airport's Terminal 2 on December 10. The exposure window was between 4 am and 8 am that morning.
In each instance, officials are contacting passengers who sat near the infected individuals on flights to warn them of potential exposure. There are currently no confirmed reports of the disease spreading to other travellers from these specific incidents.
High Contagion and Vaccination Urgency
Measles is one of the world's most infectious diseases, spread through droplets in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Among unvaccinated people, nine out of ten exposed to the virus will become infected. The MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine is up to 97% effective at preventing infection.
Doctors stress that children and babies are at particular risk. Serious complications can include pneumonia, which affects one in every 20 infected children. Tragically, nearly one to three in every 1,000 children with measles die from the disease.
Dr. Zack Moore, the state epidemiologist for North Carolina, issued a stark warning: "Measles is a highly contagious disease and it spreads quickly in children and adults who are not vaccinated." He urged all individuals to ensure they and their families are up to date with the MMR vaccine.
This cluster of airport cases occurs against a worrying national backdrop. The US recorded 2,065 measles cases in 2025, the highest number in three decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 107 new cases in less than two weeks in late 2024, including Connecticut's first case since 2021.
There are now concerns that the United States could lose its measles elimination status. The World Health Organization only considers a country measles-free if it has no locally transmitted cases of the same strain for 12 months or longer. A major outbreak in West Texas last year, largely within an unvaccinated community, has since spread to other states including South Carolina.
