Tioga County Confirms Measles Case, Urges Residents to Check Vaccine Records

Tioga County Public Health is investigating a confirmed measles case in an unvaccinated resident, and if you live, work, or spend time in the county, health officials want you to pay attention right now.

The county is not releasing further details about the patient to protect their privacy. Officials have identified potential public exposure sites and, working with local health care providers, say they have already reached out directly to everyone known to have been exposed. Community and health care partners are also being notified so they can stay on high alert for additional cases, according to a notice posted by Tioga County Public Health.

Check Your Immunity and Vaccination Status

You're generally considered protected from measles if any of the following apply to you:

• You have documented records showing you received two doses of the MMR vaccine
• You were born before 1957
• A health care provider has confirmed through a blood test that you're immune

Two doses of the MMR vaccine offer about 97% protection against measles if you're exposed.

Watch for Symptoms Over the Next 21 Days

If you know or suspect you were exposed, keep an eye on yourself and your family for symptoms over the next three weeks. Early signs typically show up 7 to 14 days after exposure and include a high fever that often climbs above 101 degrees, a cough, a runny nose, and red, watery eyes, according to the CDC's measles symptoms guidance. A red, blotchy rash usually follows 3 to 5 days after those first symptoms, starting along the hairline and spreading down the rest of the body.

If You're Unvaccinated, Limit Contact With Others

Unvaccinated people, young infants, pregnant women, and anyone immunocompromised face the highest risk of severe complications from measles. If you fall into one of these groups and you've developed symptoms or learned you were exposed, limit your activity outside your home and stay away from others until you've talked with a health care provider.

Call Ahead Before You Seek Medical Care

Do not walk into a clinic, urgent care, or emergency room without calling first. If you develop symptoms or think you were exposed, call your primary care provider or the emergency department before you arrive and tell them you may have been exposed to measles. That call gives the facility time to isolate you as soon as you get there, protecting other patients in the waiting room and beyond, per the CDC's guidance on what to do if you're sick or exposed.

About Measles

Measles spreads through coughing and sneezing, and the virus can stay alive and infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a room, according to the CDC's overview of measles. A person with measles is contagious starting four days before their rash appears through four days after. About 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people who are exposed will contract the virus.

Risk to the Public

Tioga County Public Health says the overall risk to the general public remains low, especially if you're fully vaccinated. But measles is extremely contagious, and if you're unvaccinated, pregnant, under 12 months old, or immunocompromised, you're at higher risk and should talk with your health care provider.

You can direct questions about this advisory or measles vaccination to Tioga County Public Health at 607-687-8600. For more on measles, visit the New York State Department of Health or the CDC.