Key Takeaway:
- Nearly 100 people may have been exposed to measles at Strong Memorial Hospital’s emergency department.
- Potentially exposed patients without documented immunity are being contacted and asked to monitor symptoms through Sept. 28.
- Health officials are urging vaccination as measles cases rise across the Rochester-Finger Lakes region.
Monroe County health officials are warning nearly 100 people of potential measles exposure after an infected person visited Strong Memorial Hospital’s emergency department early Tuesday, prompting individual notifications and symptom monitoring.
Health officials contact potentially exposed patients
The Monroe County Department of Public Health said Wednesday that the person, who does not live in Monroe County, was at the hospital between 11 p.m. Monday and 2 a.m. Tuesday. The department said the visit potentially exposed nearly 100 people to measles.
Patients who were at Strong’s emergency department during that period and do not have documented evidence of immunity are being contacted individually, according to the department.
Those contacted are being asked to monitor for signs and symptoms of measles through Sept. 28 and seek medical attention immediately if they become ill.
Dr. Marielena Vélez de Brown, Monroe County’s public health commissioner, said measles can remain airborne after an infected person leaves an area.
“It is such a small virus that it can hang out in the air in a space for two hours after a patient has left,” Vélez de Brown said, explaining why exposure cannot always be identified immediately.
She said people who were registered as patients but do not receive a call likely were not identified as needing direct follow-up. However, companions who were not registered may be harder for health officials to identify.
Falling vaccination rates raise concern
Measles infections have recently been reported in several counties across the Rochester-Finger Lakes region, including Steuben, Seneca, Ontario and Yates, amid rising measles exposure risk region-wide.
Vélez de Brown attributed the increase to declining vaccination rates nationally. She said lower vaccination coverage increases the chance that someone with measles will encounter a person without protection against the disease, a concern echoed in other active outbreak investigations nationwide.
The county’s current MMR vaccination rate is 86%. Monroe County has not reported a measles case since 2019, according to the health department.
The two-dose measles, mumps and rubella vaccine series is 97% effective at preventing measles, while one dose is 93% effective, the department said.
“There are years and years of data that it’s very, very safe,” Vélez de Brown said. She urged residents to follow the recommended vaccination schedule.
Officials urge families to check immunity
The United States eliminated domestic measles transmission in 2000 after maintaining high vaccination rates. Those rates have fallen in recent years below the 95% coverage generally needed to prevent outbreaks.
International health officials are scheduled to meet in November to determine whether the United States and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.
Vélez de Brown urged families to make sure children are vaccinated before domestic travel to lower the risk of measles exposure, including trips during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
The MMR vaccine can be given to children as young as 6 months in certain circumstances, including before travel, per CDC guidance on measles vaccines, she said.
“We can give the MMR vaccine down to 6 months of age,” Vélez de Brown said. “And if you’re going to take your kid anywhere, I suggest that’s what folks do.”
