Measles outbreak: Potential exposure at Jefferson Abington and Holy Redeemer Meadowbrook

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January 11th, 2024 | By Ryan Genova

Montgomery County Health Officials announced today that the City of Philadelphia has seen eight confirmed cases of measles with possible exposure to Montgomery County residents.

The Office of Public Health (OPH) is working to identify and contact all Montgomery County residents who may have been exposed at two locations: Holy Redeemer Pediatric Urgent Care (Meadowbrook) and Jefferson Abington Hospital Emergency Department.

The exposure at Holy Redeemer (1648 Huntingdon Pike, Meadowbrook) would have taken place on Wednesday, January 3 between 3:30pm and 7:30pm. The exposure at Jefferson Abington (1200 Old York Road, Abington) would have taken place on January 3 between 7:00pm and 9:40pm, officials said. 

“If you were at any of the above sites on the days listed, you may have been exposed to measles,” the OPH said in a statement. “Confirmed cases are currently limited to Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is maintaining a list of locations where individuals may have been exposed to the virus.”

Residents can check the list here. 

The OPH strongly recommends that anyone who may have been exposed to measles should quarantine by staying home and away from others for 21 days following exposure. In addition, people who have not received both doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine should talk with their healthcare provider about getting fully vaccinated. 

Five children attending a day-care center in Northeast Philadelphia have been sickened with measles, health officials said this week. Six of the people infected have been hospitalized to treat the infection, and all later discharged. The outbreak began in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in early December and spread to a day-care center on Castor Avenue, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported today.

The full list of measles exposures is below, courtesy of the Inquirer:

  • Jefferson Health building at 33 S. Ninth St. on Dec. 19 between 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
  • Multicultural Education Station Day Care at 6919 Castor Ave. on Dec. 20 and 21.
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia emergency department on Dec. 28 between 10:45 a.m and 1 p.m.
  • Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware on Dec. 29.
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia emergency department on Jan. 1 between 3 a.m. and 6:45 a.m.
  • St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children emergency department between the night of Dec. 30 and midafternoon Dec. 31.
  • St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children inpatient unit 5 North between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3.
  • Nazareth Hospital emergency department on Dec. 31 and Jan 2.
  • Holy Redeemer Pediatric Urgen Care Meadowbrook on Jan. 3 between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 
  • Jefferson Abington Memorial Hospital emergency department on Jan. 3 between 7:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. 

The OPH provided the following information:

Measles is a very dangerous virus.  

  • About 90% of people who have close contact with an infected person will get measles if they’re not vaccinated. 
  • About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who gets measles in the United States is hospitalized. 
  • As many as 1 out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children. 
  • About 1 child out of every 1,000 who gets measles will develop encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, which can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability. 
  • Nearly 1 to 3 of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications. 

What to do if you may have been exposed 

It’s important to remember that not everyone who was at these sites on the dates and times above was exposed. The Health Department or the facility will contact you if you were exposed. 

What to do if you’re immune to measles 

People are immune to measles if they: 

  • Were born before 1957. 
  • Have already had measles. 
  • Have received two doses of measles-containing vaccine (usually given as measles, mumps, and rubella — or MMR — vaccine) and aren’t immune-compromised. 

If you are immune to measles, you don’t have to do anything — even if you were in those buildings on the dates listed. 

If you’re not immune to measles 

You should take precautions if you may have been exposed and aren’t immune to measles. This includes infants under the age of 12–15 months, who typically haven’t been vaccinated yet. If you or your child aren’t immune, you should: 

  • Contact your healthcare provider or pediatrician right away, especially if you don’t feel well. Tell your doctor about your possible measles exposure. 
  • Alert your healthcare provider before visiting. Tell them that you’ve been exposed to measles and ask them to call the health department. 
  • Stay home. You could give measles to vulnerable people, so you must quarantine. 

If you’re not sure if you’re immune 

If you were exposed to measles at a date and location listed above, you should: 

  • Contact your healthcare provider or pediatrician right away, especially if you don’t feel well. They can review your immunization records to make sure you’ve had both doses of MMR vaccine.  
  • Wear a mask in indoor public spaces and around anyone who is unvaccinated, until you learn your status. This will help prevent others from being exposed.

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