Council Rock's Vaccination Rate at Nearly 98 Percent: Officials

While there have been no cases of measles in Council Rock schools, or throughout Bucks County for that matter, the recent media coverage of an outbreak prompted local officials to clear up concerns parents have over the highly contagious disease.

In an email to parents Monday, Council Rock officials confirmed there are no cases of measles in Council Rock.

Within the district, 97.7 percent of students have received every vaccination required by the Pennsylvania School Code, Council Rock officials said. The remaining 2.3 percent have either received a partial set of vaccinations or none at all, the district said.

“Under the Pennsylvania School Code and enabling regulations, children must have a full complement of vaccinations before they can be registered for school,” the district explained, adding there are two exemptions for the mandate.

Parents can opt out of vaccines for medical reasons. There is also a religious/ethical exemption. Either exemption requires documentation, the district said.

Over the weekend, officials in Montgomery County announced a suspected case of measles that turned out to be a false alarm.

“We are extremely relieved that there is currently no public health threat in Montgomery County from measles, and I compliment the staff in the Montgomery County Department of Health and the state Department of Health for the professional manner in which they handled this case,” Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman Josh Shapiro said in a statement.

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.