3rd Measles Exposure in 14 Days: What to Know If You Were At Rochester Airport Sept. 8 or 13

Monroe County has issued three measles exposure alerts in 14 days. The newest, announced Sept. 17, covers a measles exposure at Rochester airport on two dates: Sept. 8 and Sept. 13. Both monitoring windows are still open.

Three Exposure Sites in 14 Days

Three Exposure Sites in 14 Days

The first alert came Sept. 3, when the county warned that a person who tested positive for measles had passed through the Louise M. Slaughter Rochester Train Station on Saturday, Aug. 29. Anyone in the station that day was told to watch for symptoms through Sept. 19.

The second alert came the following week: an infected patient in Strong Memorial Hospital's Adult and Pediatric Emergency Department between 11 p.m. Sept. 7 and 2 a.m. Sept. 8. Nearly 100 people were potentially in that ER during the three-hour window.

Then the airport. On Sept. 17, the county reported that two people who tested positive traveled through ROC, one on Sept. 8 and one on Sept. 13.

Count travelers instead of locations and the number is four, not three. None of the four lived in Monroe County. Each was passing through on the way somewhere else. The pattern is imported cases moving through transit and medical hubs, not measles circulating in Rochester neighborhoods. Regionally, Steuben County had confirmed 10 cases as of Sept. 8, and Seneca County issued its own exposure alert on Sept. 17 after an infected person visited a medical office in Seneca Falls.

Measles Exposure at Rochester Airport: The Exact Time Windows

Measles Exposure at Rochester Airport: The Exact Time Windows

Two windows, both inside the terminal. Sept. 8, from 3:20 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 13 into Sept. 14, from 11:20 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Anyone inside the airport during the Sept. 8 window should monitor for symptoms through Sept. 29. Anyone there during the overnight window should monitor through Oct. 5. County residents who were on the affected flights and need specific guidance will be contacted individually by the health department.

Check Your Status and Watch for Symptoms

Check Your Status and Watch for Symptoms

Symptoms usually appear 10 to 12 days after exposure and can take as long as 21. The early signs are a runny nose, cough, fever, and red eyes sensitive to light. The blotchy rash comes later, starting on the face and spreading down.

Risk is low for anyone vaccinated or previously infected. The county lists higher risk for pregnant women, infants, people who are immunocompromised, and unvaccinated adults. Two doses of MMR is the recommended protection, and a primary care office can pull your record if you are not certain what you have had.

If symptoms do appear, call before going anywhere. Monroe County's health line is (585) 753-5555. Calling first lets the office prepare so other patients in the waiting room are not exposed.

Three alerts in 14 days also means the county published each one within days of confirming it, which is what makes a specific date and a specific hour something a Pittsford family can actually check. If you were in the terminal on the afternoon of Sept. 8 or late on the 13th, check your vaccination record before the Oct. 5 window closes.