Health

Passenger on Boston-bound flight had measles, health officials say

The infected individual flew to Logan Airport from Fort Lauderdale last week, the Boston Public Health Commission said.

Passengers use the pedestrian bridge to access Terminal C at Logan Airport in 2021. Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe, File

By Abby Patkin

April 22, 2026 | 1:25 PM

2 minutes to read

Boston public health officials say a passenger with measles traveled through Logan Airport’s Terminal C after flying in from Fort Lauderdale just after midnight on April 14.

According to the Boston Public Health Commission, the infected individual flew to Boston on JetBlue Airways Flight 470, left the airport in a privately owned vehicle, and promptly headed out of state. Anyone who spent time in Terminal C between midnight and 2:30 a.m. on April 14 may have been exposed to measles, the commission warned.

There are no other known exposure points in Boston at this time, according to the BPHC. City health officials said they’re now working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and local partners to identify anyone who could have been exposed.

Unvaccinated individuals who have been exposed to measles should contact their health care provider immediately and will need to monitor for symptoms and avoid public places for 21 days, the BPHC said. The commission said 94% of children in Suffolk County have been fully vaccinated against measles, putting them at low risk of contracting the virus.

“This case of measles underscores the continued importance of obtaining the MMR vaccine,” Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston’s public health commissioner, said in a statement. “It is never too late for children or adults to get the measles vaccine and for the vaccine to be effective, even if they are past the age recommended by doctors. As measles cases continue to surge across our country, we should all ensure that we are vaccinated to prevent spread and serious illness.”

Massachusetts has seen two confirmed measles cases among its residents this year: a Greater Boston adult who had recently returned home from abroad and a school-aged child who was exposed to the virus and diagnosed with measles out-of-state.

The highly contagious virus begins with flulike symptoms — cough, fever, runny nose, and watery eyes — followed by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the face to the rest of the body, the BPHC said. Measles easily spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, but it can also be spread through contaminated surfaces up to two hours after the infected person was in the area.