On a January evening, a Los Angeles County resident passed through the Tom Bradley terminal at LAX and later stopped at a Northridge restaurant, carrying a measles infection they did not yet know they had. The county's public health department has now made that movement public, not to alarm but to draw a line around who might have shared the same air and to ask those people to check whether they are protected. Measles is an old disease that modern vaccines have made rare, and this episode is a reminder of how quickly a crowded, ordinary evening can become a point where a contagion crosses path
Measles Case Prompts Exposure Warning for LAX Terminal and Northridge Chick-Fil-A Visitors
Travelers, airport visitors, and restaurant patrons were potentially exposed to measles, a disease that can cause serious complications in young children and vulnerable adults.
Measles spreads even before you know you have it
Mark
Why does a single case get a public warning like this?
Mimi
Because measles spreads through the air and by contact, and a person can pass it on before knowing they're sick. Dr. Muntu Davis said exactly that. This patient was infectious while moving through an international terminal and a restaurant.
Mark
What are the exact exposure windows?
Mimi
The Tom Bradley International Terminal between 5 and 9 p.m. on Jan. 25, and the Chick-Fil-A at 18521 Devonshire St. in Northridge between 8 and 10:30 p.m. the same night.
Luke
Notice the Chick-Fil-A window is a range of when the patient visited. Officials said sometime between 8 and 10:30, not a precise time.
Mark
So who is actually at risk?
Mimi
People who haven't had measles and aren't vaccinated, or don't know their status. They could get sick from seven to 21 days after exposure.
Luke
And after 21 days with no symptoms, officials say the risk is over. That's their stated threshold.
Mark
What do we know about the patient?
Mimi
Only that they're a county resident who arrived on Turkish Airlines flight 009.
Luke
Nothing on the patient's condition, age, or vaccination status was released. And the investigation isn't finished, so other locations could still be added.
Mark
What should someone who was there do?
Mimi
Check vaccination status, watch for fever, cough, watery eyes and a rash, and call a provider before going out if symptoms start.
Le Pouls
- A county resident who was infectious with measles moved through LAX and a Northridge Chick-Fil-A on the same night, and nobody knew yet.
- Anyone in Tom Bradley Terminal 5 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 25, or in the Northridge restaurant between 8 and 10:30 p.m., may have breathed the same air.
- Health officials are racing a 7-to-21-day clock, asking unvaccinated or unsure people to contact a provider before symptoms appear.
- Investigators are still tracing the patient's other movements, and the list of exposure sites could grow before the window closes.
On a January evening, a Los Angeles County resident passed through the Tom Bradley terminal at LAX and later stopped at a Northridge restaurant, carrying a measles infection they did not yet know they had. The county's public health department has now made that movement public, not to alarm but to draw a line around who might have shared the same air and to ask those people to check whether they are protected. Measles is an old disease that modern vaccines have made rare, and this episode is a reminder of how quickly a crowded, ordinary evening can become a point where a contagion crosses paths with the unprotected. The coming weeks will show whether the chain of exposure stops at these two places or reaches further.
On the evening of Jan. 25, a Los Angeles County resident stepped off a Turkish Airlines flight at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, around 5 p.m. The person was infectious with measles, though neither they nor anyone around them knew it. Later that night, the patient stopped at a Chick-Fil-A on Devonshire Street in Northridge, sometime between 8 and 10:30 p.m.
The county Department of Public Health announced the case and named both places, asking anyone who was there during those windows to pay attention. Passengers seated near the patient are being contacted directly. The patient has not been identified, and officials have shared nothing about their condition. Investigators are still working out whether the person visited anywhere else.
The guidance rests on vaccination. Anyone who has never had measles and was not vaccinated, or whose status is unknown, could become ill from seven to 21 days after exposure. Those who pass 21 days without symptoms are out of danger. Dr. Muntu Davis, the county health officer, emphasized that measles spreads through the air and can pass from a person before they feel sick, and that it can be serious for young children and vulnerable adults.
People who develop fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, or white spots in the mouth, followed by a rash that starts at the face, are asked to stay home and call a health care provider right away.
On the evening of Jan. 25, a passenger stepped off Turkish Airlines flight 009 at Gate 157 of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. The time was 5 p.m. The person was a Los Angeles County resident, and, as county health officials would confirm a week later, was infectious with measles.
On Thursday, the county Department of Public Health announced the confirmed case and laid out where the patient had been. Anyone in the Tom Bradley terminal between 5 and 9 p.m. that evening could have been exposed. Later the same night, the patient visited a Chick-Fil-A at 18521 Devonshire St. in Northridge, at some point between 8 and 10:30 p.m. People who were in the restaurant during that window may also have been exposed.
The patient has not been identified, and officials released nothing about the person's current condition. Passengers seated near the patient on the flight are being notified directly, the department said. Investigators are still working to determine whether the person went anywhere else or exposed anyone beyond those two sites.
The department's guidance centers on vaccination status. Residents were asked to confirm whether they have been vaccinated. In a statement, officials said anyone who has never had measles and has not been vaccinated is at risk if they were exposed. For people who are unimmunized, or whose status is unknown, illness can develop from seven to 21 days after exposure. Those who have gone more than 21 days without symptoms are no longer at risk.
Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed and may not be protected was urged to talk with a health care provider. Anyone who develops symptoms was told to stay home from work or school and contact a provider right away.
The department listed the common signs: fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, and tiny white spots in the mouth. A rash follows three to five days after the first symptoms, generally beginning at the face and moving downward.
Dr. Muntu Davis, the county health officer, stressed how the disease moves. Measles spreads through the air and by direct contact, he said in a statement, even before a person knows they are sick. It is highly contagious among people who are not immune, and it can cause serious complications in young children and vulnerable adults.
With the 21-day window running from the night of Jan. 25, the county's investigation into the patient's movements is the thing to watch, along with any update to the list of exposure sites.
Citations marquantes
Measles is spread by air and by direct contact even before you know you have it and can lead to severe disease.— Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer
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