Health officials in the nation’s capital warned people who attended the National March for Life rally in January may have been exposed to measles.
DC Health said three people infected with measles visited various locations in Washington, D.C. between Jan. 21 and Feb. 2, including the annual anti-abortion march. The rally reportedly drew thousands of attendees including Vice President JD Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and other members of Congress.
Other potential measles exposure sites include major transit hubs like Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Union Station as well as the Catholic University of America and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Children’s National Hospital said in a statement that a Virginia resident who was diagnosed with measles visited its emergency department on Feb. 2.
Measles is highly contagious and can spread through the air when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes. The disease can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, swelling of the brain and death.
Dr. Oz: ‘Take the vaccine, please’ amid measles outbreaks
Measles was eliminated in the United States by 2000 but has resurfaced in periodic outbreaks, mostly among people who are not vaccinated. There have been two new outbreaks and more than 730 confirmed cases of measles reported in 2026 as of Feb. 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..
Health officials in Washington state on Jan. 16 confirmed an outbreak connected to a family traveling from South Carolina, where a major outbreak has been brewing. Los Angeles County public health officials recently confirmed three measles cases involving people who had traveled internationally, including one who flew into Los Angeles International Airport and visited Disneyland Resort.
Those incidents come after measles cases reached the highest level seen in over three decades in 2025, according to CDC data. There were at least three deaths related to measles that year, the first documented in a decade.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have urged Americans to get the measles vaccine as cases spread.
DC Health said it is reaching out to people who may have been exposed. Health officials urged anyone who was exposed and never received a measles-containing vaccine to contact their health care provider or DC Health and watch for symptoms for at least 21 days after their exposure.
Contributing: Sara Moniuszko
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March for Life attendees may have been exposed to measles
