A Honolulu woman returned home from a trip to Italy and Holland on Feb. 5 with a case of measles and health officials will begin notifying passengers aboard her flight that they may have been exposed.

Test results Friday night confirmed that the unidentified woman had measles, said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.

Okubo yesterday did not immediately have the flight information on the woman's return trip from San Francisco.

It was the second confirmed case of measles in less than two weeks.

On Feb. 8, a 10-month-old baby flew from San Diego to Honolulu aboard Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15 with measles.

Many of the 250 passengers on that plane came to Honolulu to attend the NFL Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. None of them has subsequently been diagnosed with measles, Okubo said.

In the latest case, health officials had heard that a patient might have measles and ordered tests from her doctor, Okubo said.

"She traveled to Italy and Holland and may have picked it up in one of those countries," Okubo said. "I believe she's recovering at home."

The woman "was highly contagious" from Feb. 6 through Thursday, health officials said.

They are warning anyone who was exposed that any illnesses they suffer within 18 days may be measles.

Vaccinations for measles usually begin between the ages of 1 year and 15 months. Last year, state health officials confirmed only two cases of measles.

"We get very few cases of measles in Hawai'i," Okubo said. "Most people in Hawai'i are already vaccinated. Our biggest concern is any children under 15 months of age that may have been exposed."

Measles is considered a highly contagious viral infection, state health officials said, characterized by fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and rash. Complications include ear infection, pneumonia and occasionally encephalitis.

Death occurs in one to three out of every 1,000 cases reported in the United States.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.