Lancaster County has added more information about the measles virus to its website as part of its “trust your healthcare provider” campaign in an effort to provide factual and trusted information to residents, a public safety official told the Lancaster County Health Advisory Council at its Friday meeting.
Brian Pasquale, director of Lancaster County’s public safety department, presented three components related to the campaign the council recommended at its March meeting with regard to measles – what the county has accomplished, what officials will complete in the future, and work that is ongoing.
First, the county has added more comprehensive information to its website about measles, Pasquale said. This includes frequently asked questions, education about symptoms, information from the state Department of Health about contact tracing, opportunities for vaccination and links to the state health department and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The website also encourages county residents to talk to their healthcare providers with questions and concerns, he said.
Pasquale’s department will also include health updates in its monthly emergency preparedness newsletter. Anyone can sign up to receive the newsletter via the county website, co.lancaster.pa.us, he said after the meeting
As part of an ongoing process, Pasquale encouraged those who sit on the council, which includes representatives from all major health systems in Lancaster County, to keep information they’re sharing with the public flowing to the county as well.
“You’ve got to talk to us,” Pasquale said to the group. “We want to make sure that corporate silos don’t exist. That we shared a unified voice. That we are leaders in pushing information out to the public.”
Dr. Jeffrey Martin, chair of the department of family and community medicine at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health and council member, asked if anything was on the county website about the recommended guidelines from the state Department of Health for early and accelerated MMR vaccination, given the measles outbreak.
State health officials recommend all infants living in or traveling to Pennsylvania counties with reported measles cases receive their first measles, mumps and rubella vaccination at age 6 months.
If a child receives a shot at 6 months, they should still receive the regular doses between 12 and 15 months and again between 4 and 6 years of age.
The guidance also suggests an accelerated vaccination schedule for children over 1 year old, Neil Ruhland, press secretary for the state Department of Health said Aug. 27.
Children older than 1 who have not received any MMR vaccines should receive two doses 28 days apart. If children are older than 12 months and have received one shot, they should receive a second dose after 28 days. This means they will not need another dose between the ages of 4 and 6, Ruhland said.
Pasquale said this information wasn’t yet on the website, but if one of the advisory council members provided easy-to-understand language about that, officials would post it.
The council meets again Nov. 6.
The 11-member volunteer council, which includes representatives from all major healthcare systems in Lancaster County, is made up of physicians, healthcare executives, nurses and local government officials.
The council, established in 2022, does not function as a health department, but it does play a role in public education by providing nonbinding advice to the county commissioners.
VACCINE CLINICS
For information on MMR vaccine clinics coming up in Lancaster County, visit lanc.news/measlesclinics.
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