A Maryland resident who passed through Terminal A at the Washington, D.C., area airport last week tested positive for the highly contagious virus.

There was a confirmed measles case at Dulles Airport last Wednesday, Virginia health officials announced over the weekend. Why it matters: If you were in Terminal A, headed to the main terminal or in the baggage claim area between 4-9pm on March 5,

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can spread through the air when a person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It is preventable through a safe and effective vaccine – the MMR shot that provides immunity to measles, mumps and rubella – and health officials said in 2000 that the virus had been eliminated in the United States.