Measles Cases Rising In Chester County, Outbreaks Hit Region

WEST CHESTER, PA — Measles cases are on the rise in Chester County as outbreaks impact other parts of the region, according to health officials.

Chester County is now up to 11 cases for the year, with 10 of them occurring since April. Six new cases have been confirmed in the past few weeks.

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While many residents are vaccinated and up to 97 percent immune to the virus, unvaccinated rates have rapidly risen. The CDC says this is why measles has made a comeback after it had been all but obliterated by 2000.

"It's no joke. Measles is serious," the Chester County Health Department shared recently. "Just ask anyone who had it and needed life saving care from a hospital. This has happened too many times already in our area."

The state of Delaware has declared a measles outbreak after discovering 4 cases recently.

Neighboring counties are also experiencing high rates, including 72 cases in Lancaster and 20 in Lebanon, according to the new Pennsylvania Measles Dashboard.

Pennsylvania has the sixth highest number of cases of measles nationwide, trailing only Utah, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, and Virginia, the CDC said.

Measles is highly infectious to those who are not vaccinated or who have not contracted it before, but it is extremely rare for a vaccinated individual to contract it, according to health officials. In the highly unlikely case a vaccinated person does get measles, they usually have milder symptoms.

Symptoms of measles include cold-like symptoms, runny nose, red eyes, grey-white spots in the mouth, fever, and more. It's transmitted most commonly through coughing and sneezing.Measles can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected individual leaves that area.

If you develop symptoms, contact your health care provider immediately.