A Kohl’s department store employee infected with measles may have exposed others to the disease while at the 2350 Lincoln Highway East store in East Lampeter Township May 21, 23, 25 and 26.

People who are unvaccinated for measles are most at risk, and the state Department of Health on Friday urged anyone who had been at the store on those dates and is unvaccinated or experiencing symptoms to call their healthcare provider or the department’s toll-free number at 877-724-3258.

Early symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose and red and teary eyes. People who are sick will then develop a rash starting on the head and moving downward. Symptoms start seven to 21 days after a person is exposed, and the illness can be deadly.

“The best protection against measles is to get vaccinated,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen in Friday’s news release about the potential exposures at Kohl’s. “With two measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine doses, you are at extremely low risk of getting measles and spreading it to your family and community. People who may have been exposed at this Kohl’s location should contact their health care provider if they develop signs of sickness. These simple actions will help protect you and your community from this disease.”

The person infected with measles at Kohl’s, who was unvaccinated, was the latest of 10 people diagnosed with measles in Lancaster County in the past month, department press secretary Neil Ruhland said Friday. Of those people, only one is still contagious, Ruhland said. The person at Kohl’s is “no longer a risk to the general public,” according to the department. However, “contact tracing is ongoing,” Ruhland said.

Contact tracing is a critical step in preventing an uncontrolled spread of measles. In addition to identifying those the individual who contracted measles had been in proximity with, it also involves tracing the places the infected people have visited, according to the Centers for Disease Control website.

The state declined to release any more information about the person who had measles at Kohl’s.

“We are working closely with the health department and have informed our associates who may have been in contact with this associate and are connecting them with appropriate resources,” read a statement from Carolyn Lang, a representative from Kohl’s corporate headquarters. “The store is open to customers and associates, in accordance with health department guidance.”

Of the 10 Lancaster County residents infected in the past month, two were students at Ephrata Mennonite School, Josh Good, head of school confirmed May 21. Those students have since recovered, and the quarantine for others exposed to the illness ended without anyone else from the school catching the virus.

Lancaster County’s recent measles cases are part of a larger regional occurrence, which includes 14 cases in Lebanon County, one case in Berks County, and one case in Dauphin County in the past month. This year, there have been 38 measles cases statewide. Of those, 18 cases occurred in Lancaster County, with the rest identified in neighboring counties.

Measles, which is extremely contagious, spreads through droplets in the air when a person coughs or sneezes and can linger in the air for up to two hours after a person leaves the room. The measles vaccine is very safe and is 97% effective when a person receives two doses. For a population to achieve herd immunity – the level at which a community needs to be vaccinated to prevent uncontrolled spread – 95% of people need to be vaccinated.

The department has held vaccination clinics in Lancaster and Lebanon counties since the outbreak started, including one at Ephrata Mennonite School. At a May 19 clinic in Lancaster County, 67 people received MMR immunizations, Ruhland said last week.

The Pennsylvania measles cases reflect a trend of increasing cases nationwide. As of May 28, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified 1,983 cases nationwide this year. In 2025, there were 2,288 confirmed cases in the United States, more than any other year this century. The Pan American Health Organization assigned measles an elimination status in 2000 in the U.S. Now, the country will likely lose that status.

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