A Los Angeles County resident traveled through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) while infectious with measles virus, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health late yesterday.
And today Philadelphia health officials are warning about a new measles case in that city, noting that the patient could have exposed others at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) earlier this week, while New York officials say the first case of measles in the state outside of New York City was detected in a young child in Suffolk County.
And a new monthly report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warns that Europe is seeing significantly more cases this year than last.
LA patient traveled on China Airlines
The LAX case involves the first measles patient diagnosed in 2025 in a Los Angeles County resident, and the person possibly exposed others who were on a March 5 China Airlines flight that landed at LAX and were in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX that evening.
Officials said the person later visited a nail salon and a grocery store while infectious. Exposed people should confirm vaccination against measles, authorities said.
"With measles outbreaks happening both in the United States and internationally, this recent case in our county highlights how important it is for anyone who has not been immunized to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine," said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County health officer, in the press release. "Measles spreads easily through the air and on surfaces, and a person infected with measles can pass it on to others before they feel sick or have symptoms."
Prior to this, the last case of measles in a Los Angeles County resident was reported in February 2024.
Philly, NY cases not tied to other outbreaks
In Philadelphia, the measles patient is not connected to a case in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, or to outbreaks in west Texas, Oklahoma, or New Mexico. Instead, the patient was likely exposed during international travel.
"We believe there is no threat to the general public associated with this case of measles." said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Palak Raval-Nelson, PhD, MPH. "As vaccination rates across the country continue to drop, there are more and more opportunities for people who cannot be vaccinated to be exposed to this deadly disease. That's why it is critical for everyone who needs to be protected from measles to get vaccinated as soon as possible."
As vaccination rates across the country continue to drop, there are more and more opportunities for people who cannot be vaccinated to be exposed to this deadly disease.
The Suffolk County, New York, child, who authorities said was under the age of 5 years, represents the third measles case in New York this year. Authorities said there is no connection to ongoing outbreaks in the most recent case, and they urged New York residents to check their MMR immunization status.
"Measles can be very serious. It's much more than just a rash as complications can include pneumonia and inflammation of the brain, and often results in hospitalization. The most important thing people can do to protect themselves is to ensure they've been properly immunized against measles and immediately get a shot if they are not," State Health Commissioner James McDonald, MD, MPH, said in a news release.
Late last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues a Health Alert Network notice on US measles cases and warned travelers to be cautious during upcoming spring break travel.
Rising cases in Europe
Overseas, meanwhile, from February 2024 to January 2025, a total of 32,265 people were diagnosed as having measles in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), a sharp jump from the 2,361 cases reported in 2023.
The most cases were reported by Romania (27,568), Italy (1,097), Germany (637), Belgium (551), and Austria (542), the ECDC said in a monthly report on measles and rubella.
During the period, Romania recorded 18 deaths attributed to measles and Ireland noted 1. Only Latvia and Liechtenstein reported zero cases.
"Although there is variation in the proportion of imported cases by country, the majority of cases in the EU/EEA acquired measles through local/community transmission within the reporting country," the report states.
Of the 32,265 patients with known age, 14,556 (45.1%) were children under 5 years; 8,721 patients (27.0%) were aged 15 years or older.
Among 10,886 patients ages 1 to 4 years, 82.7% were unvaccinated, 1,082 (9.9%) were vaccinated with one dose of a measles-containing vaccine, 43 (0.4%) were vaccinated with two or more doses, and 757 (7%) were vaccinated with an unknown number of doses.
"A safe and effective vaccine has been used for decades to prevent measles," the ECDC said in a news release yesterday. All EU/EEA countries recommend two MMR vaccine doses in their national immunization schedules.
