Skip to main content

Health Officials Warn of Measles Outbreak in Philadelphia

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 10, 2024.

By Physician’s Briefing Staff HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Jan. 9, 2024 -- The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is tracking a measles outbreak, which so far has sickened eight city residents.

Philadelphia health care staff are "working to identify everyone who may have been exposed, checking their vaccine status, warning them that they may have been exposed, and issuing quarantine and exclusion recommendations where necessary," the city said in an update.

Measles vaccines provide excellent protection against the virus, but growing antivaxxer sentiments in recent years mean immunization rates have waned. Philadelphia has a measles vaccination rate of 93 percent among its children, but one city health official told ABC News that all of the eight cases have occurred among unvaccinated individuals.

The outbreak began in early December, when an unvaccinated child with measles was admitted to a hospital and spread the illness to three other children while there, ABC News reported. At least three of the eight cases have resulted in hospitalization.

One in every five cases of measles is so serious it requires hospitalization. The disease can prove fatal. According to the Philadelphia experts, "Nearly one to three of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications," such as encephalitis or pneumonia.

ABC News Article

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2024

Read this next

High Rates of Harassment Behaviors Observed in Obstetrics and Gynecology

THURSDAY, May 9, 2024 -- There are high rates of harassment behaviors within the obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) specialty, according to a review published online May 8 in JAMA...

Personalized Tool Can Predict Infants at Increased Risk for RSV

THURSDAY, May 9, 2024 -- A personalized tool can predict infants at increased risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) who would...

Mortality Slightly Increased With Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods

THURSDAY, May 9, 2024 -- Mortality is slightly higher in association with a higher intake of ultraprocessed foods, according to a study published online May 8 in The BMJ. Zhe...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.