As of April 25, 2019, there were 695 confirmed cases of vaccine-preventable measles across the USA in 22 states, with 4 confirmed cases in San Mateo County. This the highest number on record since the disease was thought to be eliminated in 2000.
Information you should know:
- Measles is a highly contagious disease that can cause serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can have long-term consequences, especially among medically vulnerable people including young children, adults with weakened immune systems and the elderly.
- Measles spreads by direct contact with infectious droplets or through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. The virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before through four days after the appearance of a rash. Symptoms begin with a high fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a rash that usually begins at the head and spreads to the rest of the body.
- The CDC recommends children get two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age and the second dose at 4 to 6 years of age. Adults born before 1957 are unlikely to need more MMR shots since most caught measles and have natural immunity.
What we are doing at PWG:
- Our vaccine policy at PWG has remained the same since we opened in 2011: At PWG we believe that vaccines are safe and important for the health and welfare of your child, your family and our community. It is our policy that patients in our practice must be vaccinated.
- In order to keep everyone safe we have implemented infection control steps if we suspect a possible measles exposure. We will ask you specific questions to assess the risk and then ask you to follow a different check in process. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
More resources:
- Healthy Children, the American Academy of Pediatric’s website
- San Mateo County Health Department, you can access current alerts, advisories, and updates as well as sign up for e-mail updates from the San Mateo County Health Department through these links
We will continue to provide periodic updates as we get new information. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.