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Two children in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, have tested positive for measles, marking the first cases in the Lehigh Valley amid a statewide surge. The Allentown Health Bureau confirmed that both children were unvaccinated. This brings Pennsylvania's total to 176 cases, part of a nationwide outbreak nearing 3,000 cases.
According to David Synnamon, director of the Allentown Health Bureau, the cases appear isolated, but due to the long incubation period of measles, further spread is possible. Measles is highly contagious; the virus can linger in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person coughs.
Dr. Tivisai Villalobos, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Riley Children's Hospital, emphasized the importance of vaccination. "Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate is the message," Synnamon reiterated. The Allentown Health Bureau is holding vaccination clinics for school-age children, as the MMR vaccine is 97% effective in preventing measles.
Saint Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem is treating one of the pediatric patients. The hospital confirmed that this is their first measles case in recent memory. Health officials are taking steps to minimize exposure, including offering video consultations and following isolation precautions in emergency rooms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults born between 1963 and 1967, who may have received only one dose of the vaccine, to consult their doctors about re-vaccination.