THOUSANDS of holiday travelers may have been exposed to one of the world’s most contagious viruses after an infected passenger passed through a packed major airport on one of the year’s busiest flying days.
Health officials say the traveler was infectious while moving through Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday, December 19.
Newark, New Jersey, is now warning anyone who was in Terminals B or C that day to watch for symptoms of measles.
The New Jersey Department of Health said the passenger arrived in Terminal B at 7 am and was last known to be in Terminal C at 7 pm.
Officials stressed they don’t know where the person was or how long they stayed during that 12-hour window.
Terminal B handles many international flights plus a handful of domestic carriers, while Terminal C is United Airlines’ main hub at the airport.
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So far, no additional related cases have been identified in New Jersey as of Friday, December 26, the department said.
But anyone who was potentially exposed could still get sick, with symptoms developing as late as January 2, 2026.
Measles, considered the most infectious disease on Earth, typically starts with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery, red eyes.
A rash usually shows up three to five days after symptoms begin, often starting on the face at the hairline before spreading down the body.
The virus can also trigger serious complications like pneumonia and encephalitis swelling of the brain, and can cause major risks in pregnancy, including miscarriage and premature birth.
Health officials said measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
They warned it can linger in the air for up to two hours after the person leaves an area, raising the risk for people who passed through later.
Those most at risk include anyone who isn’t fully vaccinated or hasn’t had measles before.
NJDOH urged anyone who thinks they were exposed to call a doctor or local health department before showing up in person, adding: “Please do not visit a medical facility without calling ahead.”
The agency said it is working with local health officials on contact tracing and on efforts to notify people who may have been exposed.
Expert answers MMR questions
TO help deal with parental concerns, Professor Helen Bedford, a specialist in child public health at University College London, tells you all you need to know about the MMR vaccine.
When is the vaccine given?
The MMR vaccine is part of the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme.
It’s typically given via a single shot into the muscle of the thigh or the upper arm.
The first dose is offered to children at the age of one (babies younger than this may have some protection from antibodies passed on from their mother, which start to wear off at about 12 months.)
The second dose is then offered to children aged three years and four months before they start school.
To check to see if you or your child have had the recommended two doses of MMR, you can look at their/your Personal Child Health Record, also known as the red book.
If you can’t find the red book, call your GP and ask them for your vaccine records.
You are never too old to catch up with your MMR vaccine.
If you see from your vaccination records that you did not receive two doses as a child, you can book a vaccination appointment.
Is the vaccine safe?
The MMR vaccine is safe and effective at preventing measles, mumps and rubella.
In the UK, we started using the jab in 1988, so we have decades of experience using it.
The jab is made from much-weakened live versions of the three viruses.
This triggers the immune system to produce antibodies that are protective in the face of future exposure.
It takes up to three weeks after having the vaccine to be fully protected.
Like any vaccine, the MMR jab can cause side-effects, which are usually mild and go away very quickly.
This includes rash, high temperature, loss of appetite and a general feeling of being unwell for about two or three days.
There is also a very small chance children can have a severe allergic reaction.
But compared to the complications of measles, there is no contest that vaccination is by far the safest and most effective route to take.
Why was it linked with autism?
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield and his colleagues published a now-discredited paper in medical journal The Lancet.
The paper suggested that the MMR vaccine might be associated with autism and a form of bowel disease.
It led to a sharp decline in vaccination rates.
Even at the time, the research was considered poor.
The Lancet retracted the story in 2010 after Wakefield’s article was found “dishonest” by the General Medical Council.
He was later struck off and subsequently, in 2011, the British Medical Journal declared the story fraudulent.
Does it contain ingredients from pigs?
There are two types of MMR jabs: One with gelatin (animal/pig collagen), and one without it.
For some religious groups, the inclusion of pig products is not acceptable.
Those people should ask for the vaccine without gelatin.
This is at least the fourth time in 2025 that a traveler with measles was reported flying to, from, or through Newark, with the last known case in October.
None of those earlier incidents sparked a local outbreak, officials said.
The warning comes as measles cases surge nationwide, fueled in part by falling vaccination rates in some areas.
New Jersey has recorded 11 confirmed cases so far in 2025, up from seven in 2024.
Across the US, the CDC reports 2,012 measles cases in 44 jurisdictions as of December 23, 2025 – the highest yearly total since 1992, years after the virus was declared eliminated in the US in 2000.
December 19 was the Friday before Christmas, long known as one of the busiest days of the year for air travel, with 51,526 flights scheduled nationwide that day.
