A major airport just reported a measles case | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

In 2025, states across the country have grappled with a resurgence of measles.

The respiratory illness that in some cases leads to severe symptoms such as swelling and difficulty breathing was officially declared eliminated in the United States back in 2000 with the widespread vaccination of young children with the MMR vaccine.

But increasingly, measles is making a return, as parents in different groups choose to forgo vaccination and current Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to push anti-vaccine rhetoric, as reported by The New York Times.

In February 2025, an unvaccinated six-year-old child in Texas became the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015, while 2025 saw the most cases in the last two decades.

Health authorities say traveler with measles passed through SeaTac Airport

As of December 2025, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention recorded at least 1,828 confirmed measles cases in states as diverse as California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Virginia, Texas, and Washington.

Cases are also being recorded in transportation hubs through which large numbers of people pass. On Dec. 3, local authorities in Seattle announced two measles cases connected to a traveler who passed through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) on Nov. 11 and then returned on Nov. 17.

The airport had previously also recorded a measles case on Oct. 13 from a traveler who came from an area of Arizona with an active measles outbreak. The traveler from Arizona was unvaccinated, while the vaccination status of the November passenger is not known.

Prior to the incident in October, there were 11 recorded measles cases in Washington State, of which three were linked to travel. Seattle & King County has a running list of locations where cases were registered — the November traveler took the train connecting SeaTac’s Concourse N and Concourse C.

The traveler with measles passed through the terminal to get to the gate.

Image source&colon; Shutterstock

Traveled through Seattle Airport in November? Here is what you need to know about the confirmed measles cases

Seattle & King County is urging anyone who was in the state’s primary airport on those days to check their vaccination status and monitor for symptoms.

“Most people in our area have immunity to measles through vaccination, so the risk to the general public is low,” the public notice reads. “However, anyone who was in the locations of potential exposure to measles around the times listed on our website should call a healthcare provider promptly if you develop an illness with fever or with an unexplained rash.”

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The strongest risk is to travelers who were in the concourses through which the infected traveler passed within two hours.

With traveler numbers continuing to reach new records in 2025, the potential for a measles outbreak in one state spreading to other parts of the country is almost inevitable.

“Measles is an ongoing risk around the world, and more international travelers are getting infected,” the CDC advisory said in a health advisory back in May. “Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events.”