Person Who Visited Patient In CHOP's NICU Had Measles: Officials

PHILADELPHIA — Health officials are monitoring for possible measles exposure at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) after a person visiting the NICU for newborns and infants tested positive for the highly contagious virus, officials told Patch.

The person visited CHOP's main campus Sept. 11 to visit a child in the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit. Philadelphia health officials issued an advisory Thursday that people in the following parts of the hospital could have been exposed:

• CHOP NICU West: Sept. 11 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
• CHOP NICU West Family Lounge: Sept. 11 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
• CHOP Atrium: Sept. 11 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
• CHOP Main Cafeteria: Sept. 11 between 12:05 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.

Once declared eliminated in the United States, measles has resurged in recent years due to declining vaccination rates, according to health experts. Four measles-associated deaths were reported in Pennsylvania over the past month, following 35 years of no fatal cases reported in the state, according to state health officials.

No patients or staff at CHOP have tested positive for measles or shown symptoms as of Friday, said James Garrow, deputy commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

CHOP is working with city and state health officials to identify people who may have been exposed and get them tested. Infants in the NICU will receive be treated with antibodies that prevent of lessen severe measles disease, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

All others who may have been exposed to measles at CHOP should check their vaccination status and watch for symptoms, officials said. They have been instructed to quarantine at home until Oct. 2, as measles symptoms sometimes appear up to three weeks after transmission.

No measles cases have been reported in Philadelphia so far this year, according to state health data. The CHOP visitor isn't a city resident or patient, so their positive measles test is not considered a Philadelphia case.

The person's condition wasn't immediately available.

The virus hasn't been detected in the city's wastewater either, Garrow says.

Measles Symptoms, How It's Spread

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, according to health officials. People who aren't protected against measles can catch the virus up to two hours after someone with measles leaves the same room.

A person with measles can spread the virus up to four days before and four days after symptoms appear.

Early symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, and red, watery eyes followed by a rash. Serious infection can lead to pneumonia, brain infection and death.

Children younger than 5 are especially prone to serious measles complications if they're not vaccinated.

Prevention

The Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine is widely considered a safe and effective way to protect yourself against measles.

"We encourage people to get vaccinated not only to protect themselves, but to protect those who cannot get vaccinated," Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson said in a statement.

The MMR vaccine is routinely recommended for children 12 to 15 months old, with a second dose given for given at age 4 to 6.

Infants under 12 months aren't typically eligible for the vaccine and aren't protected. But an early dose is recommended for infants ages 6 to 11 months before traveling internationally or to areas with measles, including Pennsylvania's Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, Dauphin, Northumberland and York counties.

In many cases, the vaccine is available at no cost. Click here for more info.