Baltimore-area measles exposure sites include BWI, Sinai, urgent care

Baltimore-area travelers, urgent-care patients and hospital visitors who were in BWI, FastMed Urgent Care on Smith Avenue or Sinai Hospital last week may need to check their measles vaccination status and watch closely for symptoms.

The Maryland Department of Health said the case involved a Baltimore metro area resident who recently traveled internationally. It was Maryland’s first measles case of 2026, following three cases in 2025, one in 2024, one in 2023 and none from 2020 through 2022.

State officials named three exposure locations. At Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the possible exposure window ran April 12 from 7:50 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the Customs and Federal Inspection Station and the lower-level international baggage claim area. FastMed Urgent Care, 2827 Smith Ave. in Baltimore, was listed for April 14 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and again April 17 from noon to 3:30 p.m. Sinai Hospital’s emergency department, main waiting area and pediatric emergency department were listed for April 17 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:10 p.m.

Measles remains one of the most contagious viruses known. Health officials said it spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, and the virus can linger for up to two hours after that person leaves the area. That makes airport processing zones, waiting rooms and emergency departments especially sensitive settings when an imported case turns up.

Maryland officials said anyone at those sites during the listed times should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after the possible exposure. People with symptoms should stay out of child care, school, work and public places, and call ahead before going to a doctor’s office, urgent care center or emergency department. The state also said exposure on or after April 14 may qualify some people for post-exposure treatment.

Vaccination remains the strongest defense. The CDC says two doses of measles vaccine are 97% effective, while one dose is 93% effective. Maryland health officials said people born before 1957 are generally considered protected. Pediatrician Ashanti Woods of Mercy Medical Center said two doses offer very strong protection, while a single dose leaves more room for infection.

The notice tied Baltimore’s airport, a North Baltimore urgent care and one of the city’s major hospitals into a single public-health warning. It also showed how quickly a single imported case can move through local transportation and care systems, making up-to-date immunization and fast notification the difference between a contained exposure and a wider scare.