At least eight people have been diagnosed with measles in an outbreak that began last month in the Philadelphia area. The two most recent infections were confirmed on Monday.
The outbreak began after a child who had recently spent time in another country was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) with an infection that was later determined to be measles. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health believes the case was “imported,” but has not said where it came from.
The disease then spread to three other people at CHOP, two of whom were already hospitalized for other reasons.
Two of the infected people at the hospital were parents and children. The child was not vaccinated and the parent was offered a drug typically given to unvaccinated people that could prevent infection after exposure to measles, but refused, according to the Philadelphia Investigator. It is said that he did. first reported.
The child was sent to day care on Dec. 20 and 21, despite quarantine instructions, the health department said.
Four more people were infected at the day care facility, called the “Multicultural Education Station.” Daycare officials said administrators were not available for comment.
According to the Department of Health, not a single person diagnosed with measles has been immune to measles, either because they have not received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or because they have not received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in the past. This means they have never been infected with measles. However, the health department did not provide details such as the patient’s age or vaccination status.
According to the ministry, four people were hospitalized due to the spread of the infection, in addition to the two who were already hospitalized.
Measles is so contagious that Philadelphia hospitals are on high alert for new cases.Infected people can become infected Up to 90% of people nearby If those contacts are not immune. A person can remain infectious for approximately 8 days (4 days before and 4 days after the characteristic rash of the disease appears).
The virus can survive in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area.
“Certainly we have been extremely cautious with people who have had the rash, but with measles patients,” said Dr. Doug Thompson, chief medical officer at St. We are asking everyone about their contacts.” Philadelphia.
Thompson said the hospital has seen three measles patients during the outbreak, all between the ages of 1 and 2. No one had been vaccinated, he added.
Measles usually causes a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. A rash of red spots may then form after 3 to 5 days.
Approximately 1 in 5 unvaccinated people with measles will be hospitalized, and 1 to 3 in 1,000 children with measles will die from serious complications such as pneumonia and brain swelling. To do.
Thompson said people who have been vaccinated and have been infected do not need to worry about getting sick. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one dose is 93% effective in preventing measles, and two doses are 97% effective. Protection lasts a lifetime.
At least 93% of Philadelphia children are fully vaccinated against measles by age 6. Children receive their first vaccination between the ages of 12 and 15 months and their second vaccination between the ages of 4 and 6 years.
Even if a person is infected but does not have immunity, the vaccine can be administered within 72 hours to prevent infection. Another option is a vaccination called immunoglobulin, which delivers antibodies. Must be administered within 6 days of exposure.
Thompson estimated that more than 15 people who may have been exposed to measles were receiving immune globulin at St. Christopher’s Hospital.
“If someone is sitting in the same room as a patient in the hospital, for example in the waiting room, and we determine that they are at risk, we will take them to the emergency department and administer immunoglobulin. I did,” he said.
Thompson said a small number of people infected at the hospital received the measles vaccine.
Although the United States virtually eliminated measles in 2000, measles outbreaks originating in other countries occasionally occur.
From October to December 2022, CDC will Confirmed There were 85 locally transmitted measles cases in Ohio. Earlier that year, four Ohio residents brought measles to the United States after traveling to East Africa, but the CDC was unable to definitively link those cases to the outbreak.
New York also experienced a large outbreak that began in 2018 and 2019 when unvaccinated travelers returned to the United States from Israel. CDC Confirmed From October 2018 to April 2019, there were 242 cases in the state excluding New York City, and 33 cases in New Jersey.
Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said the recent outbreak is likely due to: Decline in vaccination rates.
“Measles is the most contagious of the vaccine-preventable diseases, so if you reduce vaccination coverage, measles is the first to come back,” he said.
For nearly a decade, 95% of U.S. kindergarteners received two doses of the MMR vaccine. However, that percentage dropped to 93% in the 2022-23 school year. Last year saw an increase in the number of people applying for exemptions from vaccinations for their children.
Offit cited misinformation about vaccine safety, opposition to vaccination mandates, and parents’ concerns about taking their children to the doctor during the coronavirus pandemic as factors driving this trend. .
People also seem to forget how contagious measles is, he says.
“People have a misconception that you can only get measles if you come into direct contact with someone who has measles, but that’s not true,” Offit said. “Very fine aerosolized droplets containing measles are hanging in the air like ghosts, and until they subside, we are at risk.”
