Passengers that were traveling on an Amtrak train from Boston to Virginia last week should get checked for measles, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
According to a recent press release from the department, a man that was infected with the measles boarded the Amtrak Northeast Regional #171 in Philadelphia on August 17.
The VDH is warning anyone who was on the train from Boston to Virginia, or from Philadelphia to Virginia to get vaccination updates.
The train left Boston at 8:15 a.m., according to reports, and departed Boston last Wednesday at 8:15 a.m. and made stops in New York City, Philadelphia, Maryland, and Washington D.C., until it reached its destination in Lynchburg, Virginia around 12 hours later.
Passengers who got off of train before its arrival in Philadelphia shouldn’t be concerned said the VDH.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing, and contact with secretions from the nose, mouth, and throat of an infected individual. Individuals at risk for infection include those who are not vaccinated against measles or cannot recall or document vaccination.
Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages, according to the VDH.
In the first stage, most people develop a fever of 101 degrees or higher, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough.
The second stage begins around the third to seventh day when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads over the entire body.
The VDH said symptoms could develop as late as September 7.
