HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania has now confirmed 1,004 measles cases across 39 counties, health officials said Monday.
Of those patients, 198 were hospitalized and five died.
“Yes, we are having a measles outbreak in Pennsylvania, and we are encouraging people who are not vaccinated to please get vaccinated,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Deborah Bogan said.
State data shows just four of the confirmed cases involved vaccinated people, representing less than 1% of the statewide total.
At the same time, more Pennsylvanians are rolling up their sleeves. More than 53,000 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine were administered across Pennsylvania in September — more than twice the number given during a typical month.
“The MMR vaccine has proven to be effective for decades, and we didn’t have cases for decades because of the effectiveness of the vaccine,” Bogan said.
Measles can initially resemble a common cold, with symptoms including fever, coughing, a runny nose and watery eyes. A rash typically develops several days later.
The virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area.