GOSHEN – The number of
confirmed measles cases in Orange County have risen to five. Last month
during Thanksgiving week, the county reported its first confirmed case.
The county health department said two of these new cases have been laboratory
confirmed in children who attend school in Orange County. The county has
been working closely with the affected schools and individuals have been
notified.
Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated individuals have been told they couldn’t
come to school because measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease
caused by a virus that is spread by direct contact with nasal or throat
secretions of infected people.
Measles may appear in two stages. In the first, which lasts two to four
days, the person may have a runny nose, caught and a slight fever. The
second stage begins on the third to seventh day and consists of a red
blotchy rash lasting five to six days. The rash usually begins on the
face and then spreads downward and outward to the hands and feet. The
rash fades in the same order it appeared.
A person is considered immune and is unlikely to get measles if they were
born before January 1, 1957, have received two doses of the Measles, Mumps
and Rubella vaccine or have a lab test confirming immunity.
Persons who become ill should call their doctor by phone or the Orange
County Department of Health at 845-291-2330 before seeking care to avoid
exposing others to illness.
