Montco Reacts To Measles Threat

A Montgomery County resident who recently traveled to Nigeria may have exposed other residents to measles, county health officials announced last week. Nigeria is in the midst of an ongoing measles outbreak.

The Montgomery County Health Department identified the particular locations and times other people might have been exposed to the infected individual:

July 24, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. - Victory Christian Fellowship, 2650 Audubon Road, Lower Providence

July 26, 10 p.m. to July 27, 5 a.m. - Mercy Suburban Hospital Emergency Department, DeKalb Pike, East Norriton

July 27, 3:50 to 6:10 p.m. - Whitemarsh Medical Services, 1107 Bethlehem Pike, Suite 210, Flourtown

The county's health department said that county investigators and staff from local health care facilities have contacted people who they believe may have been exposed.

The department did not provide the name, age, gender, or any other information on the infected individual. This individual is thus far the only identified case of measles. Officials said there is "no evidence" that the case is related to a recently identified measles cluster in Berks County.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that resides in mucus in the nose and throat of infected people. When they sneeze or cough, droplets containing the virus spray into the air and contaminate surfaces they contact. These droplets remain "active and contagious" on infected surfaces for up to two hours, the Health Department said.

According to the Health Department, the following groups are at particular risk of measles infection:

• Infants under 12 months of age

• Persons who have refused vaccinationPersons vaccinated against measles with an inactivated vaccine between 1963 and 1967 and who have not been revaccinatedSome persons born after 1957 who have received only one dose of measles vaccine

• Immunocompromised persons, including organ transplant recipients, chemotherapy patients, and persons with impaired immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS

• Persons from areas of the world with circulating measles and/or low vaccine coverage

Symptoms of measles begin about 10 days after exposure and last up to two weeks. A fever that lasts a couple of days is first, followed by a cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis (pink eye). After two or three days, tiny white spots appear in the mouth. After two more days, a raised, red rash starts on the face and spreads down the body and out to the arms and legs. The rash lasts up to a week.

Anyone who believes they may have been exposed to measles should contact their physician or healthcare provider immediately.

All children attending school or licensed day care centers in Pennsylvania are required to be immunized against measles. Most children are typically immunized against measles by what is known as the MMR vaccine, which is administered between the ages of 12 and 15 months and also protects against mumps and rubella (German measles).