Suffolk County child under 5 tests positive for measles, state and local health departments responding
Anyone who feels they may have been exposed should consult with their doctor or pediatrician or contact their local health department.
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23h agoAccording to the local and state health departments, a child from Suffolk County younger than 5 years old has tested positive for measles. Suffolk Health officials said the child was unvaccinated.
According to data from the state health department, 82.6% of Suffolk County children have received at least one Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccination by 2 years of age as of Jan. 1, 2025. That number is slightly higher than the overall state average of 81.2%.
This is the third case of measles in the state this year and the first outside of New York City. State health officials said there is no connection between this case and other outbreaks in the United States.
Officials are working to contact trace for potential exposure to people who visited the pediatric emergency department at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park from March 3 to March 4 or visited an inpatient child on the Medicine 3 unit from March 3 to March 6.
Cohen Children's Medical Center is contacting patients who visited these areas at the time of potential exposure and has identified patients who are at high risk and may require timely treatment.
A spokesperson for Cohen Children's Hospital said in a statement to News 12:
"A pediatric patient was diagnosed with measles and treated at Cohen Children's Medical Center. We are actively working with public health officials under established exposure protocols to ensure no further cases arise from this incident. The situation underscores the critical importance of vaccinations, including the MMR vaccine, and the need for them to help prevent diseases like measles and minimize the risk of spreading these diseases."
The Suffolk County Department of Health has confirmed the child with measles did not attend day care or school while infectious.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus that is spread by coughing or sneezing into the air.
Individuals can catch the virus by breathing it in, or by touching a contaminated surface, then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. Complications may include pneumonia, encephalitis, miscarriage, preterm birth, hospitalization and death.
The incubation period for measles is up to 21 days.
People who are exposed to measles and have not been previously vaccinated should quarantine for 21 days after exposure. People who were exposed but who have been vaccinated with MMR do not need to quarantine but should self-monitor for 21 days and stay home if they develop symptoms.
People diagnosed with measles should isolate until four days after the rash appears.
Symptoms can include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash of red, flat spots appears on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body.
A person with measles can pass it to others as soon as four days before a rash appears and as late as four days after the rash appears.
Typically, the first dose of the MMR vaccine is given to kids between 12 to 15 months old and the second dose is given between four and six years old as the child heads to school.
According to the CDC, one MMR vaccine is about 93% effective at preventing measles and two doses are about 97% effective.
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