Measles Outbreak Reaches Pennsylvania: Here's What You Need to Know

By Kara Seymour

Officials are warning people who have not been vaccinated against measles to protect themselves after a nationwide outbreak of the highly contagious disease has reached Pennsylvania.

A case of measles has been confirmed in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania health officials said this week. The infected person was at numerous public locations in the Shippensburg and Chambersburg area from Jan. 24 to Jan. 27, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“Measles is a potentially very serious and highly contagious virus,” said Acting Physician General Dr. Rachel Levine of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. “This case underscores the importance of having all children appropriately immunized according to recommended guidelines.”

According to figures reported by The Morning Call, Pennsylvania has one of the worst vaccination rates among kindergartners. About 85 percent of Pennsylvania kindergartners were vaccinated during the 2013-2014 school year, the publication reported.

The symptoms of measles generally appear about seven to 14 days after a person is infected. The first signs are high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Complications from measles can include ear infection, diarrhea and pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and even death, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Measles can also cause miscarriages or premature delivery in pregnant women.

The following people are at the highest risk of getting the measles:

• Infants under a year old who are too young to have received the vaccine
• People born after 1957 who received only one dose of the MMR vaccine
• People who have refused vaccination
• People from parts of the world with low vaccination rates
• People vaccinated from 1963 to 1967 with an inactivated vaccine and who haven’t been re-vaccinated

What you should know about the measles, according to health officials:

• Simply being in the same room with someone who has measles is sufficient to become infected.
• Usually about 8-12 days (but up to 21 days) after exposure, measles begins with a mild to moderate fever accompanied by cough, runny nose, and red eyes.
• Two or three days later, the fever spikes, often as high as 104-105°F.
• At the same time, a red blotchy rash appears, usually first on the face, along the hairline and behind the ears.
• The rash rapidly spreads downward to the chest and back and, finally, to the thighs and feet.
• Most students with measles are sick enough that they miss at least a week of school.
• One in every 20 people with measles develops pneumonia; more rarely, serious, even life-threatening complications can occur.
• The MMR vaccine is effective and safe, and two doses are recommended for all children.
• If you think you or your child may have the measles, call your doctor before showing up the office so that your medical provider can take precautions to make sure you don’t further spread the virus.

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