A measles case has been confirmed in Montgomery County, authorities said.
The case was reported in an unvaccinated child, and is being investigated by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health, according to a release shared Sunday. Disease investigators are completing contact tracing, and are contacting people who may have been potentially exposed.
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The following locations were visited by the Montgomery County child with a confirmed case of measles during their infectious period:
• China Airlines Airport Shuttle Bus, Departing JFK Airport Terminal 4, arriving at North Philadelphia, Pho Ha Saigon, 757 Adams Avenue, Philadelphia, from Feb. 25, at 9:30 p.m. to Feb. 26 at 3:15 a.m.
• True North Pediatrics Associates of Plymouth, 3031 Walton Rd., #C101, Plymouth Meeting, on Feb. 26, from 11:45. a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
• CHOP King of Prussia Campus Emergency Department, 550 S. Goddard Boulevard, King of Prussia, on Feb. 26, from 12:52 p.m. to 3:02 p.m.
Investigators are also working to gather additional details regarding possible exposure during and after air travel.
People who were at any of the above locations during the specified time periods may have been exposed. The measles virus is considered extremely contagious and can remain in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area, and if someone breathes in the contaminated air or touches an infected surface then touches their eyes, nose or mouth, they can become infected. It can also be transmitted from person to person through coughing and sneezing.
Potential exposure does not guarantee illness. Those who already received two doses of the measles vaccine — usually administered to children as the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine — or have already had measles do not need to take action. Anyone born before 1957 is also generally considered immune to the virus. But health officials are urging anyone who is not protected to get vaccinated. Children who are too young for the vaccine, as well as pregnant or immunocompromised people, should contact their doctor as soon as possible.
Measles typically begins with a fever that lasts for several days, followed by coughing, runny nose and watery eyes. Two to three days after symptoms start, tiny white spots may appear in the mouth. Three to five days after symptoms begin, a flat, red spotted rash appears on the face at the hairline and spreads downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. There may also be small, raised bumps. Symptoms usually appear between 7-14 days after exposure to the virus, but can take as long as 21 days to begin.
Three people in Bergen County, New Jersey, were confirmed to be infected with measles last month. Also last month, a child died in a measles outbreak in Texas, marking the first U.S. measles death in a decade. The DOH told NBC10 that there is no immediate risk to the general public at this time, and 94% of all Pennsylvania residents are vaccinated against the measles virus. Philadelphia's last measles outbreak occurred from December 2023 to early January 2024, originating at a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia facility.