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The Pennsylvania measles outbreak has reached more than 970 confirmed cases, but doctors on the front lines say the official numbers may not show the full impact.
The outbreak began in April and has spread across 39 Pennsylvania counties. Nearly 200 people have been hospitalized, while the state has reported five measles-associated deaths.
Doctors are now reporting severe complications in some patients. They are also concerned that many people with measles may never appear in official case counts.
Pennsylvania measles outbreak reaches 970 cases
According to the supplied report, Pennsylvania has confirmed more than 970 measles cases since April. The outbreak has also led to nearly 200 hospitalizations.
Patrick Gavigan, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital, has seen the impact firsthand.
His hospital is near Lancaster County, which accounts for more than one-third of the state’s reported cases. Before the current outbreak, Gavigan had encountered measles only once during his medical training.
This year, however, his hospital has treated between 15 and 20 measles patients. Most of those cases came during the past month.
Doctors are seeing severe complications
Measles can cause serious illness, especially when complications develop.
Gavigan said some hospitalized patients have experienced breathing problems that required oxygen. Some patients have also needed machines to help them breathe.
However, respiratory problems are not the only concern.
Some patients developed vomiting and diarrhea, along with elevated liver enzymes and hepatitis. Others developed encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can cause seizures, paralysis and permanent brain damage.
Some patients have recovered enough to return home. Others have faced much longer recoveries and may not regain abilities they had before becoming sick.
Many measles infections may go unreported
Doctors are also worried about people who become infected but never receive testing.
Gavigan said families of hospitalized children often report that other people in their homes have experienced measles-like symptoms. Those family members frequently have not been tested.
That could mean the actual number of infections is higher than the official total.
Measles can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. Early symptoms can also look like other common illnesses.
A fever, runny nose and congestion can appear before the familiar measles rash. The rash may not appear until about four days after symptoms begin.
That delay can make it easier for an infected person to spread the virus without realizing it.
Vaccination remains a key protection
The report says all patients requiring inpatient treatment at Gavigan’s hospital have been unvaccinated.
Statewide, less than 1% of reported cases have involved vaccinated people, according to the source.
Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are more than 97% effective against measles infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information cited in the report.
The outbreak also creates concerns for infants who are too young to receive the vaccine and people with weakened immune systems.
Pennsylvania sees a rise in vaccine demand
There is also a sign of increased interest in vaccination as the outbreak continues.
Health care providers administered more than 49,000 MMR vaccine doses in August. That figure was nearly twice the number given during a typical month.
During the first three weeks of September, providers administered more than 38,000 doses. Some doses were given through pop-up vaccination clinics in communities affected by the outbreak.
The increase suggests that some residents are taking preventive action after seeing the effects of measles in their communities.
The Pennsylvania outbreak could also offer lessons for other states. Major measles outbreaks have affected Texas, South Carolina and Utah over the past two years.
Source: The Washington Post
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