Philadelphia warns of possible measles exposure at 2 local hospitals
Philadelphia health officials are warning of a potential measles exposure at two hospitals in the region but say the case is not connected to the outbreak in western states.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced Friday that the possible exposure to the highly infectious virus happened over the last week at a hospital in the city and another in Montgomery County.
According to the health department, the first potential exposure was in Penn Hospital's emergency department on Sunday, April 6, between 3:55 p.m. and 11:55 p.m.
The second exposure was days later at the Holy Redeemer Hospital's emergency department in Meadowbrook on Tuesday, April 8, between 6:05 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
The Philadelphia health commissioner said the patient was exposed to the measles virus while they traveled abroad.
"We believe there is no threat to the general public," Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson said in a statement.
Raval-Nelson said that with vaccination rates dropping in the United States, the risk of people who cannot be vaccinated against measles being exposed to the virus is increasing. She added that she was hopeful the measles case wouldn't spread further in Philadelphia due to the high rates of immunity against the virus in the city.
The health commissioner pleaded for anyone who isn't vaccinated to get the MMR vaccine.
Research shows one dose of the vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and the recommended two doses are 97% effective.
In an interview with CBS News earlier this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. encouraged people to get the vaccine amid an outbreak primarily in West Texas, where measles has killed two children and infected more than 500 people. It was the first time since becoming HHS secretary that Kennedy publicly urged people to get the vaccine.
Symptoms of measles
The measles symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and puffy eyes, followed by a red skin rash that begins on the face and neck. People who are infected with measles usually start experiencing symptoms within 10 to 14 days of exposure.
