KING COUNTY - Seattle and King County health officials have confirmed a case of measles in an adult who brought the disease from a trip abroad.

Also known as rubeola, officials say measles is highly contagious, and infected people are usually contagious from about four days before their rash starts to four days afterwards. Early symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes.

Officials say the risk to the public from this case is low. But officials do warn, however, that it can result in serious infections among susceptible people, and in some cases cause complications by pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures and even death.

Officials say most King County residents born before 1957 likely had the disease in childhood and younger persons are routinely vaccinated against measles, both of which provide protection against the disease.

The traveler who carried the disease flew to Seattle on Alaska Airlines flight 399 on Dec. 8th.

Officials say people may have also been exposed to the case in the lobby area at the Warwick Seattle Hotel between 12:00pm -2:00pm on December 8th only.

The traveler stopped in Milan, Italy and Amsterdam, Netherlands before flying to San Francisco. He spent two days there before flying to Seattle.