RICHMOND, Va. — Five people believed to have traveled from Afghanistan during the emergency evacuation efforts have been diagnosed with measles, according to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
VDH is now spreading the word to the state's Central Health Region and the Northern Health Region to identify any other individuals who may have been exposed.
According to health officials, Richmond area hospitals have already been alerted in an effort to identify and notify people who may have been exposed at the hospital on Sept. 10. Health officials are also working to identify exposures at Fort Pickett in Nottoway County.
This comes after health departments in Northern Virginia announced that they were working to identify individuals who may have been exposed at Dulles International Airport and other locations following the country's evacuation efforts for Afghanistan refugees.
Most U.S. residents were vaccinated against measles as children, which confers lifetime immunity, VDH said.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing, and contact with droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of an infected individual.
Virginia residents with questions, comments or concerns about the measles outbreak in the area are encouraged to contact the health department, here.