Measles Exposure at Louis Armstrong Airport: What Louisiana Travelers Need to Know

KENNER, La. (KPEL News) — Travelers who passed through Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Sunday evening may have been exposed to measles, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

The exposure happened on Concourse B past the security checkpoint between 5 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday, November 9. The infected person is an adult from the Northshore area—Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes—who caught the virus during international travel.

Get our free mobile app

The patient wasn’t hospitalized and will stay isolated until they’re no longer contagious. Health officials don’t know if they’d been vaccinated.

What Louisianans Who Were at the Airport Need to Know

Anyone who passed through that area faces real risk because measles is airborne and spreads like wildfire. According to the CDC, about 90 percent of unvaccinated people exposed to measles will get infected.

Here’s the scary part: the virus can hang in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves. That means anyone on Concourse B during that three-and-a-half-hour window Sunday evening could’ve been exposed—even if they never came within 20 feet of the infected traveler.

Health officials will directly notify anyone who was on the same flight as the confirmed case. But if you were anywhere on Concourse B between 5 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday, here’s what LDH says you need to do right now:

How to Protect Yourself After Potential Exposure

If you were at the airport during the exposure window, Louisiana health officials say you need to do three things:

Check your vaccination status right now. Find out if you’ve been vaccinated for measles or had the disease before. Adults need at least one dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine given after age 1 to be protected. People born before 1957 or who had measles as kids are generally covered.

Call your doctor before showing up. Tell them you might’ve been exposed to measles so they can set up a safe way to evaluate you without putting other patients and staff at risk.

Watch for symptoms over the next three weeks. Measles symptoms usually show up 7 to 12 days after exposure, but can take up to 21 days. The CDC notes that if you get the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure, you might dodge the infection or at least have a milder case.

Recognizing Measles Symptoms

The disease starts with symptoms that look a lot like a bad cold: fever of 101 degrees or higher, red and watery eyes, cough, and runny nose. A few days later, you’ll see the telltale sign—a red and blotchy rash that starts at the hairline on your face before spreading down your body. The rash can stick around for five to six days.

If you start feeling these symptoms, stay home and call your doctor right away. Don’t go to school, work, or anywhere public. Tell your doctor about the possible exposure so they can figure out how to check you out safely.

Louisiana’s Growing Measles Concern

This is Louisiana’s third measles case in 2025. Two cases popped up in the greater New Orleans area back in April, both tied to international travel. LDH wrapped up that investigation in May after finding no additional infections.

But the national picture looks pretty ugly. As of November 4, the U.S. has logged 1,681 confirmed measles cases across 42 states—a massive jump from the 285 cases reported in all of 2024. The CDC has tracked 44 outbreaks this year, with 87% of confirmed cases linked to these outbreaks.

The surge comes from two big problems: dropping vaccination rates and more international travel. Kindergarten MMR vaccination coverage in Louisiana fell from 96% in 2020 to 92% in the 2023-2024 school year, leaving more kids vulnerable.

Why Measles Demands Serious Attention

Measles isn’t just a childhood rash that goes away. It can cause serious problems like pneumonia, brain swelling, and, in rare cases, death. The virus hits babies and young children especially hard, along with pregnant women and people with weak immune systems.

The disease is one of the most contagious viruses out there. An infected person can spread measles just by coughing, sneezing, or breathing near someone. That’s why public health officials jump on these exposures fast and push vaccination hard.

The MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective at stopping measles after two doses. Most Louisiana kids get two doses before starting kindergarten—one at 12-15 months and another at 4-6 years.