BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The third case of measles in 2025 has been reported in Louisiana.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the case was reported in Region 9, which includes Livingston Parish, St. Helena Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, and Washington Parish.
Officials said the patient is an adult and was not hospitalized. They added that the person will remain in isolation until he or she is no longer infectious.
According to LDH, people may have been exposed to the patient at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner. Officials said the patient was on concourse B and beyond the security checkpoint sometime between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 9.
Measles can linger in the air for up to two hours after a person with the virus leaves an area.
If you feel that you were in the same location as the patient, LDH advises that you take the following steps:
- Find out if you have been vaccinated for measles or have had measles previously. If you are unsure whether you have been vaccinated, ask your healthcare provider to find out if you need an MMR. You can also check your family’s vaccine status at MyIR.
- If you are not immune to measles, the MMR vaccine may help reduce your risk of developing measles. Your healthcare provider can advise and monitor you for signs and symptoms of measles.
- Anyone who may have been exposed should watch for symptoms, which typically appear seven to 12 days after exposure but may take up to 21 days. Symptoms of measles include:
- Fever (101° F or higher)
- Red, watery eyes
- Cough
- Runny nose
- A rash that is red and blotchy
- The rash begins after other symptoms, usually on the face at the hairline, and moves down the body.
- The rash may last five to six days.
- If you see a provider in person, please notify your provider that you have been exposed to measles before you arrive so that they can make special arrangements to evaluate you, if needed, without putting other patients and medical office staff at risk.
According to LDH, measles can cause a person to become hospitalized and can even cause death. The virus is especially dangerous for people with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, babies, and young children.
The first two measles cases in Louisiana in 2025 were travel-associated. Both patients were adults in Region 1, which includes Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and St. Bernard Parish.
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