Michigan health officials say the second person sickened by measles this year was on the same flight as the first patient.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the state’s second case Friday. The agency said the unidentified adult contracted the measles because of the exposure to the first patient, who was contagious during the flight.
The MDHHS said measles was eliminated from the United States in 2000, but emerges every year among international travelers, where it remains a common illness.
Last year, Michigan had one case of measles. However, health officials say national case counts have been rising. In 2014, 667 people in the U.S. contracted measles, including five people in Michigan.
Measles is a viral infection that can lead to pneumonia, brain inflammation, hospitalization and death. Symptoms include high fever, runny nose, cough, reddened light-sensitive eyes, and a red raised body rash. The airborne virus is easily spread because people may be contagious before symptoms surface, and people remain contagious until several days after the rash appears.
Health officials say the best prevention for measles is the vaccine, which is available to people as young as 6 months.