102 Cases Of Measles Confirmed In Rockland

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — The number of measles cases in Rockland County has passed 100, jumping to 102 Thursday from 96 as of Monday. Officials are also monitoring five suspected cases.

On the last day of 2018, the county had 96 confirmed cases, with the last confirmed case reported Dec. 19. However, they were monitoring eight suspected cases.

SEE: Measles Outbreak: 96 Cases In 2018 In Rockland

These six new confirmed cases put the county back to the beginning in its 21-day countdown for lifting restrictions on schools where fewer than 80 percent of the student body is vaccinated.

The restrictions remain on schools in the geographic center of the outbreak: Monsey, Spring Valley and New Square. Un- or under-vaccinated students may not attend any schools where the vaccination rate is lower than 80 percent until 21 days after the last confirmed case in the county.

Officials say babies as young as six months old should start the vaccine process (the usual start is at one year). They also warn that people born before 1957, who have always been considered immune, could get at least a mild case of measles if exposed in this outbreak.

So far six people with measles have been hospitalized.

“We consider all of Rockland potentially exposed," Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Commissioner of the Rockland County Department of Health, said in January.

There are bad measles outbreaks across the world. The disease came to Rockland with a visitor from Israel who was infected and with Rockland residents who returned from a trip to Israel The first case of an international traveler with measles was in late September, and more cases at the start were due to separate international travelers, three from Rockland and one from abroad in early October.

Because measles is highly contagious — the virus is airborne and can live two hours after an infected person has left the area — the way to prevent measles is vaccination and isolation.

County health officials ask anyone who might be infected to call the doctor before going in for a check-up.

PHOTO/ Centers for Disease Control