YORK, Pa. – WellSpan Health is notifying its patients, staff and neighbors in York County of a confirmed positive case of measles in an individual who was treated at two WellSpan facilities in York between Aug. 26 and Aug. 29.
The confirmed case involves a patient who received care at WellSpan Stony Brook Health Center on Aug. 26, 28 and 29. The Stony Brook facility houses WellSpan Family Medicine – Stony Brook, WellSpan OB/GYN – Stony Brook, and WellSpan Lab Services – Stony Brook. This patient also received care at the WellSpan York Hospital Emergency, Lab and Imaging departments on Aug. 26 and 29.
Because measles is transmitted by air, the infection risk vanishes two hours after a patient leaves a building. There is no current risk of infection at any of these locations.
WellSpan York Hospital and all medical services and practices at WellSpan’s Stony Brook location continue their normal operations.
However, anyone who was inside these locations at the times list below may have been exposed. The locations and times when individuals may have been exposed include:
- WellSpan Stony Brook Health Center, 4222 E. Market St., Lincoln Hwy. York, Pa., on Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- WellSpan York Hospital, 1001 S. George St., York, Pa., on Aug. 26:
- in the proximity of the Lab from 1:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
- in the proximity of the Imaging Department from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- in the proximity of the Emergency Department from 6:15 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. Aug. 27
- in the proximity of the Imaging Department from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- WellSpan Stony Brook Health Center, 4222 E. Market St., Lincoln Hwy. York, Pa., on Aug. 28 from 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- WellSpan Stony Brook Health Center, 4222 E. Market St., Lincoln Hwy. York, Pa., on Aug. 29 from 9:50 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- WellSpan York Hospital, 1001 S. George St., York, Pa., on Aug. 29 in the proximity of the Emergency Department from 11:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
If you were at, or near, any of the locations listed above and are experiencing these symptoms please contact the Pa. Department of Health’s toll-free hotline at 1-877-PA-HEALTH. Individuals who have received the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccination series should be safe from exposure.
According to the Pa. Department of Health, this is the 14th confirmed case of measles in Pennsylvania in 2019, and more than 1,200 cases have been reported in the United States this year.
Measles is a highly contagious but vaccine-preventable disease that spreads through coughing, sneezing or other contact with the mucus or saliva of an infected person. Symptoms typically appear 1 to 3 weeks after exposure and include: rash; high fever; cough; and red, watery eyes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) those most at-risk are:
- Infants less than one year of age who are too young to have received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine;
- Individuals who refused vaccination; and
- Individuals from parts of the world where there is low vaccination coverage or circulating measles.
Additionally, even if you were vaccinated, you may still be at risk if you were vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine, which was used from 1963 through 1967, and have not been revaccinated; or you were born after 1957 and have only received one dose of MMR vaccine.
WellSpan Health agrees with the CDC recommendations that children and adults receive immunizations from preventable diseases, such as the measles. For the most current information on recommended immunizations for children and adults, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/default.htm.
For more information about measles, visit www.health.pa.gov or www.cdc.gov.