The Anchorage Health Department says it is investigating a measles case that may have exposed people traveling through Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Monday evening after the person arrived from Las Vegas via Seattle.
Measles is highly contagious, spreading by air and direct contact, but it is preventable with an MMR vaccine.
City health officials believe exposure risk to the public in this case was limited because the individual isolated after their arrival in Anchorage.
A health department alert describes the person as having traveled to Anchorage on Monday “from an area of the United States that is experiencing a substantial measles outbreak.”
“They did not have a history of being immunized against measles,” the alert said.
People may have been exposed to the virus if they were at the airport between 4 and 8 p.m. Monday, the alert said.
Also on Monday, people who were at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. or at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. may have been exposed, the alert said.
People who were potentially exposed on flights with the person were directly notified, according to Anchorage Health Department spokeswoman Michelle Fehribach. Details on those flights aren’t typically shared with the public to maintain privacy of those who may be affected, she said in an email.
If someone not vaccinated is exposed to a person contagious with the virus, symptoms could be expected between Oct. 20 and Nov. 3, the alert said.
Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, a rash that usually starts on the face and moves to chest and back, and red, watery eyes, according to the health department. The respiratory illness can be dangerous or fatal, especially for babies or children.
People who think they have measles symptoms should call a health care provider before going to a hospital or clinic in-person, the alert said.
As of Oct. 14, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measles tracking website said there have been three measles cases in Alaska in 2024 and 2025. Other measles cases reported in Alaska this year were a juvenile in Anchorage in May and a Kenai Peninsula resident in January, who was hospitalized in Homer with the virus after traveling overseas.
This year, the U.S. has seen close to 1,600 cases of measles and three deaths, according to the CDC’s website. The vast majority of cases have involved people who were either unvaccinated or it’s not known if they had been vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, the health department said in its alert.
People interested in getting vaccinated at the Anchorage Health Department can schedule an appointment by calling 907-343-4799.
[Editor’s note: This article has been updated with with information from the Anchorage Health Department about how people on impacted flights were notified.]
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