PA Measles Outbreak Spreads To Bucks Co. As Resident Tests Positive

The measles outbreak in Pennsylvania has struck Bucks County.

The county Health Department confirmed Monday that a person in Bucks County has tested positive for measles, as the outbreak has claimed six lives in Pennsylvania..

The person is an adult who recently traveled to an area of central Pennsylvania that has reported many measles cases this year, health officials said in an announcement. The person’s vaccination status is "unclear," but they are no longer contagious, the county said.

The Bucks County Health Department said it has notified healthcare providers whose offices the person is known to have visited. The County will assist the providers in notifying patients who may have been exposed.

“The most effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones from measles is vaccination. Two doses of the vaccine will be at least 97 percent effective in preventing all illness after exposure to the virus," said Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker.

“Fortunately, across Bucks County we overall tend to see very high rates of vaccination against measles, which prevents further spread and keeps most infections mild in the rare instance that they occur. If you’re unsure of your vaccination status and want to make sure you’re protected, check with your doctor.”

Infected individuals generally begin to experience symptoms within 10-14 days of exposure. Symptoms of measles first include a cough, runny nose, red eyes, headache and sneezing, then progresses to a rash starting on the face and hairline, spreading downward.

Last week, the state Department of Health announced that a sixth measles-associated death has occurred in Pennsylvania. The deceased person was an unvaccinated Jefferson County resident. The health department said no further information would be released on the person due to privacy concerns.

The death was reported to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and added to Pennsylvania’s measles dashboard. Last updated Wednesday, the dashboard shows there have been 1,467 measles cases in 45 of the state's 67 counties thus far this year.

Three of the six measles-related fatalities were in Lancaster County. Two were in Jefferson County and one was Mifflin County.

The Franklin County coroner reported a measles-related death in October. That would have meant the most recent Jefferson County fatality would have raised the state's measles death toll to seven; however the health department has not found the case to have met the requirements to be considered a measles-associated death.

To be considered measles-associated, a death must meet all of the following criteria:

• Death must occur within 30 days of symptom onset in an individual with clinical evidence of a measles infection and a positive laboratory test.

• Death must not be due to unrelated causes, such as a vehicle accident.

Additional information, such as whether an individual was exposed to a confirmed measles case prior to death or supporting medical records, also is considered.

According to the state dashboard, there have been 34 newly confirmed measles cases in Pennsylvania since Nov. 2. There have been 283 total hospitalizations.