Passengers aboard four different Southwest Airlines flights should be very aware of any symptoms they develop as they may have been exposed to the measles.
The airline and the CDC are working together to reach out to anyone who shared a plane with a north Texas man that was later diagnosed with the virus. The flights of concern were all within the state of Texas—between Dallas, Houston and Harlingen.
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According to the Houston Health Department, the man did not leave the airport at any time or visit any restaurants or stores within. Those in the airport at the same time as the man have a much lower chance of contracting the highly contagious virus.
Abc Action News listed the following as the flights of concern:
—Flight No. 5, between Dallas and Houston on August 21st.
—Flight No. 9, between Houston and Harlingen on August 21st.
—Flight No. 665, between Harlingen and Houston on August 22nd.
—Flight No. 44, between Houston and Dallas on August 22nd.
As of August 11th, there have been 124 confirmed measle cases between 22 states and the District of Columbia this year, with symptoms generally appearing 7-14 days after initial infection.
The CDC website states someone who caught the virus may first experience a high fever, cough, a runny nose or red, watery eyes. Within a few days, tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth, followed by a rash that spreads from head to toe.
If anyone on the aforementioned flights experiences these symptoms, they should immediately contact a medical provider.
Since measles symptoms don’t immediately show, the health department says those on the mentioned flights could still develop symptoms as late as Sept. 12th.
