Montgomery County officials warned Friday that recent visitors to a Bethesda, Maryland, ice rink and a Gaithersburg office building may have been exposed to measles by a confirmed patient.
The confirmed case of measles is the first one reported in Maryland since 2019, when the state had five confirmed cases.
The infected individual visited the Cabin John Ice Rink in Bethesda on May 24 between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., and also went to an office building at 16220 Frederick Road in Gaithersburg between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Measles, which can be prevented by vaccination, is an airborne disease spread by the coughs, sneezes and spittle of those infected.
Symptoms of measles develop anywhere between one to three weeks after a person is first exposed. The early symptoms include fevers of over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, a runny nose, coughing, and red, watery eyes.
After one to four days, a red rash breaks out, first on the face and then on the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious for the four days before the rash appears and then the four days after it breaks out.
Health officials urge any unvaccinated against measles that were at either of the two locations exposed to the disease to watch for symptoms, and contact a health provider if they begin, particularly the fever.
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