Two unrelated incidents at heavily traveled locations have prompted Philadelphia health officials to warn residents and visitors about potential exposure to a highly contagious illness.
The alerts cover sections of a major international airport and several areas inside a prominent children’s hospital, with officials urging potentially affected people to review their vaccination records and monitor for symptoms.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced that a person with measles traveled through Philadelphia International Airport, potentially exposing people across portions of five terminals.
The possible exposure occurred in Terminals B and F, along with connecting areas used by travelers moving through Terminals C, D and E, from 7:25 p.m. September 13 until 12:05 a.m. September 14.
Officials said the infected traveler remained inside the airport throughout the visit and did not enter other parts of Philadelphia.
The airport warning followed an unrelated possible exposure at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia involving a different person who was present at the hospital on September 11.
The affected hospital areas included NICU West, the NICU West Family Lounge and the main atrium from 9:30 a.m. until 4:15 p.m., along with the main cafeteria between 12:05 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.
Philadelphia and Pennsylvania health officials said they were working with the hospital to identify potentially exposed infants and provide a preventative antibody product that could prevent infection or reduce the severity of the disease.
“This week’s measles exposures are a reminder of how important it is for all of us to be up to date on our vaccinations,” Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson said.
Raval-Nelson said fully vaccinated residents have little to fear from the two incidents and are also helping protect infants and other vulnerable people who cannot receive the vaccine.
Anyone present in the identified airport or hospital areas during the specified times was advised to determine whether they are protected against measles and watch closely for symptoms.
Health officials said people are generally considered protected if they were born before 1957, previously had measles or received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine.
Those who are not immune, do not know their vaccination status, are pregnant and not immune, are immunocompromised or have an infant who may have been exposed should contact a healthcare provider promptly.
Some individuals may still qualify for post-exposure treatment that could prevent measles or reduce the severity of an infection, depending on their medical circumstances and how much time has passed.
People who develop possible symptoms were instructed to call their healthcare provider before arriving at a hospital, clinic or medical office so precautions can be taken to prevent additional exposure.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, and the virus can remain infectious in an enclosed space for as long as two hours after that person leaves.
Early symptoms generally include fever, coughing, a runny nose and red or watery eyes, followed several days later by a rash that commonly begins near the face and spreads across the body.
The illness can cause serious complications including pneumonia, brain inflammation and death, with infants, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems facing particularly serious risks.
Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are approximately 97% effective at preventing measles, while one dose provides about 93% protection, according to federal health guidance.
The Philadelphia warnings arrive during a widening Pennsylvania outbreak that had reached 792 confirmed cases across 39 counties by September 21, according to the state Department of Health.
Pennsylvania has recorded four measles-associated deaths during 2026, including two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents whose deaths were announced in August as the state’s first measles-associated fatalities in 35 years, Fox News reported.
Officials emphasized that a possible exposure does not mean everyone who entered the identified locations became infected, particularly because vaccinated people carry significantly lower risk.
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