PITTSBURGH —

The Allegheny County Health Department said an unvaccinated minor under 18 years old has tested positive for measles and is recovering at home.

It’s the first confirmed case of measles involving an Allegheny County resident this year, according to Monday’s announcement by the health department.

The health department said people who visited the Target store at Pine Creek Shopping Center on McKnight Road between 3:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, may have been exposed. The store is located in McCandless.

“Not happy. But I feel confident I’ve gotten enough vaccines…” said Wexford resident Allison Arend, who said she was at the McCandless Target during the time of possible exposure. “I feel pretty confident, but not exactly happy that it happened at my own home Target.”

Health officials said no additional information about the patient will be released, citing privacy reasons, but they said there were no school-related exposures.

“Measles is a respiratory virus, and it transmits from person to person through respiratory droplets, but also in little particles that get suspended in the air,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based Infectious Disease Physician. “A person can be in a room and have measles and then leave that room; an hour later, somebody else go into that room and become infected.”

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So far in 2026, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,004 cases of measles and five measles-related deaths statewide. Adalja called the outbreak unprecedented.

“The reason why this outbreak has so much momentum is simple – it’s because there are not enough people that are vaccinated. And it is finding unvaccinated individuals in many different communities around the state,” Adalja said. “This is the most contagious infectious disease that we know of.”

County health officials said unvaccinated people who believe they were exposed should contact their healthcare provider. They added that it is important to call ahead before visiting a healthcare facility after a potential exposure.