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Measles alert involving JFK Airport issued after infected child from China goes through air-traffic hub
The unvaccinated child arrived at JFK on a China Airlines flight, before boarding an overnight shuttle bus to North Philadelphia.
A measles alert involving JFK Airport in Queens has been issued by health officials after an infected child from China went through the air-traffic hub last week. According to the warning from officials in Montgomery County, Pa., on February 25, 2025, the unvaccinated child arrived at JFK on a China Airlines flight. The kid then boarded an overnight shuttle bus to North Philadelphia, and might have infected other people.
This alert comes shortly after the New York City Health Department said that there are at least two measles cases in the Big Apple now. There are also increasing concerns over outbreaks from Texas to New Jersey.
Where could the child have infected others?
The Pennsylvania alert says that the child arrived at Kennedy’s Terminal 4 and boarded the shuttle, and may have infected people at the terminal, on the bus or at the Pennsylvania clinics they received treatment at. On February 25, the bus left JFK around 9:30 pm. It then arrived at the Pho Ha Saigon restaurant at 757 Adams Ave. in Philadelphia around 3:15 am. The kid was taken to True North Pediatrics Associates of Plymouth in Plymouth Meeting and the CHOP King of Prussia Campus Emergency Department in King of Prussia, both of which are in Pennsylvania.
“Additional details regarding possible exposure during and after air travel will be provided as soon as they are available,” a Montgomery County notice said, according to AOL. “Identified individuals are in the process of being contacted and notified of potential exposure to measles and assessed for vaccination status and risk for infection.”
The measles virus can stay in the air, as well as on surfaces, for up to two hours after contact with an infected person. An infected child died in Texas last week, sparking concern over the potentially fatal virus spreading across the United States. The Texas child’s case was one of at least 145 confirmed cases of the virus in the state since late January. There are confirmed cases in at least eight other states, including New York and New Jersey, officials have confirmed.
