Update: measles exposure warning Maryland tied to Amtrak

Update: measles exposure warning Maryland follows a confirmed case linked to travel on an Amtrak train and several shuttle services in the region. In a Sunday update, the Maryland Department of Health said it is investigating possible measles exposures connected to a person who traveled from Philadelphia on Jan. 7.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Possible exposure locations on Amtrak and BWI shuttles

Officials said the Amtrak Northeast Regional Train from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station to Washington, D.C.’s Union Station is among the public places tied to the advisory. The time window provided was Jan. 7, from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Officials also identified possible exposure points involving shuttle transportation serving Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. They listed the Amtrak BWI Shuttle running between the BWI train station and the drop-off points outside the lower level of BWI Airport. The relevant period spans late Jan. 7 into early Jan. 8, from 10:45 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

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In addition, the BWI Airport Parking Shuttle was included. Officials said the window covers travel to and from the area outside the lower level of BWI Airport and the airport’s long-term parking lots on Jan. 7 between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Jan. 8. They added that no exposures were identified inside the terminals of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Why measles cases rose in the U.S. in 2025?

Measles can spread easily through the air when an infectious person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. A similar risk has also been noted in Railway Supply reporting on an earlier Amtrak measles case.

Health officials said measles had been eliminated in the United States, but a decline in MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination rates among children has contributed to the disease resurfacing across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported at least 2,144 cases of measles in the U.S. in 2025, and said 93% of the people infected were unvaccinated.

Maryland health officials said at least three measles cases were identified in the state in 2025. One case was in Howard County after a resident traveled abroad, and two cases were in Prince George’s County, also after international travel.

What to do if you think you’ve been exposed?

If you believe you may have been exposed, health officials recommend checking vaccination records. They said you should be considered protected if you have received two doses of the measles vaccine or if you were born before 1957.

Anyone who is not fully vaccinated should call their health care provider or local health department and monitor for early signs for 21 days. Officials advised watching for a fever of more than 101 degrees, along with a runny nose, cough, and red, watery eyes.

Symptoms usually develop 10 to 14 days after exposure. People can also develop a red rash on the face that spreads to the rest of the body one to four days after the early symptoms. Health officials said a person is contagious beginning four days before the rash appears until four days after the rash surfaces.

“Vaccination remains essential to protecting ourselves, our families, and our communities against measles and other infectious diseases,” said Meg Sullivan, the Maryland Department of Health’s deputy secretary for Public Health Services. “These types of situations underscore the importance of knowing your vaccination status and ensuring you are up to date with all recommended vaccines.”

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