Seven measles cases have now been confirmed in Centre County since the first case was reported less than two weeks ago, with cases spreading to nearby counties.

According to the state Department of Health’s dashboard, 22 measles cases have been confirmed in the counties surrounding Centre County as of Monday. There are four in Clearfield County, one in Huntingdon County and 17 in Mifflin County.

When the first Centre County case was confirmed on Aug. 6, Mifflin was the only adjacent county with cases.

Dr. Daniel McKinley, a physician with Mount Nittany Health, told the Centre Daily Times Tuesday that the health system is not aware of any other potential patient exposure events, aside from the ones that occurred earlier this month. Those two potential exposure times and locations are:

Mount Nittany Medical Center Emergency Department (155 Wellness Way): Between noon Friday, July 31, and 1 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1.Mount Nittany Health Toftrees (164 Greenview Drive): Between 10 a.m. and noon Friday, July 31.

“We are working closely with the [Pennsylvania] Department of Health on contact tracing anytime there is even a possibility, and we’re in keeping in touch with not only our patients, but our community and our staff,” McKinley said.

He continued, “Why we’re here is to help people. Unfortunately, measles spreads very easily, and it’s very easy to have an exposure, and we want to make sure we’re capturing every single possibility.”

Mount Nittany Health facilities are still operating “an enhanced screening process” for measles cases, McKinley said. People entering outpatient locations are being asked questions about symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose and rash, and whether they’ve had any exposures to anyone who might have measles.

McKinley noted that one in five people who contract measles get admitted and one out of every 1,000 children who contract measles will die.

“There are some long-term effects of significant brain injury that can take years to even a decade later to show up,” McKinley said. “This is not some mild disease that everyone just has to go through. This is something we can prevent to avoid countless unnecessary deaths.”

In total, 307 measles cases have been confirmed across the state, with 60 new cases in the last seven days. There have been no deaths attributed to measles this year in the commonwealth, and there have been 53 hospitalizations. As of Aug. 13, 2,566 confirmed measles have been reported in the United States this year.

How to protect yourself

The measles vaccine is the “the number one way” to avoid contracting the virus, and to prevent broader community infection, McKinley said.

“Measles was eradicated from the United States 26 years ago,” McKinley said. “The vast majority of physicians in the United States and healthcare workers never saw measles, and the fact that we’re now back to a point where we’re seeing measles within our community is really scary. But there are some very straightforward ways we can fix this, and again, it goes back to staying vaccinated and encouraging those around you to be vaccinated.”

Any adult or teen who has never had the measles vaccine or the measles should get two doses of the vaccine at least 28 days apart, the DOH advises. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine — which is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — has a 97% effectiveness against measles.

With children, one dose is typically administered between 12 and 15 months, with the second dose coming between the ages of 4 and 6. (The state DOH advises that babies as young as 6 months get one dose if they live in an area with a current measles outbreak.)

So far, 3,311 measles vaccinations have been administered in across the commonwealth in 2026, according to the state DOH.

Other tactics people should use to avoid contracting measles include wearing a mask, and avoiding large crowds or enclosed spaces with people who are exhibiting symptoms.

If you believe you have measles, McKinley recommends immediately reaching out to Mount Nittany or your healthcare provider, before stopping in for a visit. That way, isolation rooms can be more easily prepared, and contamination of other patients and staff members can be avoided.

“Mount Nittany is here for anybody who thinks they have measles, whether they’re unvaccinated or have received a vaccine,” McKinley said. ”We will treat everybody the same. We will evaluate them. We want them to feel comfortable coming to our clinics and our facilities, but we do encourage reaching out ahead of time, masking and trying to avoid giving this to other people.”

For more information and updates from Mount Nittany Health, visit its webpage with community health information.

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