New Jersey health officials warn travelers at Newark Liberty Airport may have been exposed to measles on Dec. 12.
Travelers at the busy Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, may have recently been exposed to measles, the New Jersey Health Department warns.
The state health department warned that air travelers who flew through the airport’s Terminals B and C between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on December 12, 2025, in addition to workers or anybody else present in the terminal building during that period, should be on alert for the possibility of contact with a person infected with measles.
Further details about the areas occupied by the infected person were unavailable, but the state health department is in the process of actively contact tracing.
Anybody who may have been exposed to measles, either at Newark Airport or another location, are urged by the health department to be aware of the symptoms of the disease and ensure their Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccinations are up-to-date. The health department also notes that those in contact with the infected person on December 12 could develop symptoms as late as January 2, 2026.
Continue Reading Article After Our Video
Recommended Fodor’s Video
State health officials note that no new associated cases of measles have been identified in New Jersey since the health department was made aware of the infected traveler. Anybody who suspects they have contracted the measles virus should not go directly to a healthcare provider, but contact them in advance to let them know their symptoms are similar to measles symptoms to receive further instructions.
The health department warns that measles is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin. The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet. Measles can also cause serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and can lead to miscarriage in pregnant people, premature birth, or a low-birth-weight baby.
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that measles weakens the immune system, compromising the body’s ability to fight off other infections, making the virus particularly dangerous for young children (whose immune systems have not fully developed)) and people who are immunocompromised, meaning their immune system function is lower than typical.
The virus spreads through the air when someone coughs or sneezes, and can remain airborne with the potential to infect other people for up to two hours after the infected person leaves the area. Coming into contact with mucus or saliva of an infected person can also transmit the virus. Infected persons can be contagious without demonstrating symptoms of measles.
2025 has seen the most measles infections in the United States since 1992. As of December 23, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports 2,012 confirmed cases of measles in the United States, mostly among the unvaccinated. Measles cases have been reported in 44 states. There have been three confirmed deaths attributed to measles. The state with the largest outbreak is Texas, which accounts for just over 800 of the confirmed measles cases this year.
Before the MMR vaccine entered wide use in 1963, measles infected an estimated 3 to 4 million Americans each year, hospitalizing nearly 50,000 and killing around 500. Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, but declining vaccination rates have increased the number of cases in recent years.
Newark Liberty International Airport consistently ranks in the Top 20 busiest airports in the United States. The airport, which is a major hub for United Airlines, handles between 110,000 and 130,000 passengers per day—more during peak holiday periods.
