On January 11, 2026, health officials in Maryland and Virginia confirmed that a preschool-aged child with measles traveled through both states while contagious. Exposure sites included trains, airport shuttle buses, and a hospital emergency department.

This is the second confirmed measles case in Virginia this year and part of a larger trend of vaccine-preventable diseases returning due to gaps in vaccination coverage and delayed public notification.

Measles spreads quickly. One infected person can expose dozens of others in a matter of hours. Yet the public often learns about possible exposure days later, sometimes too late to take protective action.

We need a better system.

We are calling on the Maryland and Virginia Departments of Health, along with governors and state legislatures, to:

• Establish a joint regional public health alert system to notify people within hours of a confirmed exposure
• Use text alerts, transit signs, media partners, and public health websites to share exposure details quickly and widely
• Coordinate with Amtrak, airport authorities, and hospitals to improve real-time exposure tracing
• Ensure alerts are available in multiple languages and reach high-risk populations, including the immunocompromised and unvaccinated

The current patchwork of delayed announcements leaves people vulnerable. Timely, accurate exposure alerts can help save lives and stop the spread of measles, COVID, RSV, and other serious infections.

This is a common-sense step. People deserve to know when and where they might have been exposed, and what to do next.

Sign this petition to demand a public exposure alert system that protects Maryland, Virginia, and our entire region from preventable outbreaks.