GOSHEN – The number of confirmed measles cases in Orange County has 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.
