A person contagious with measles visited two CVS stores and a Giant pharmacy along Baltimore Pike on Sunday, Oct. 4. The Chester County Health Department warned residents in an alert issued Friday, Oct. 9.
The three exposure sites and time windows are:
- CVS, 870 Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, between 10:45 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- CVS, 857 West Baltimore Pike, West Grove, between 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
- Giant, 849 Baltimore Pike, West Grove, between 1 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.
The Health Department said anyone who was at those locations during those hours and is not immune to measles should contact a healthcare provider right away. People who are unsure of their vaccination status, are pregnant and not immune, are immunocompromised, or have infants should also call.
The department stressed one precaution: call ahead. Walking into a waiting room with a possible measles exposure puts other patients at risk.
Who is considered protected
The Health Department considers a person immune if they were born before 1957, have already had measles, or have received at least one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. People who meet any of those criteria do not need to take further action.
About 90% of people who have close contact with an infected person will get measles if they are not immune, according to the county's measles information page. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a room.
Symptoms to watch for
Early signs include fever, runny nose, cough and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that starts on the head. Measles can lead to pneumonia, brain infection and death in some cases.
The department advised anyone who may have been exposed and is not immune to wear a mask indoors and around unvaccinated people for three weeks.
Outbreak context
Chester County had 86 confirmed measles cases as of Oct. 7, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. It is the only county in the Philadelphia region where the virus is actively circulating, with cases concentrated along the western border with Lancaster County.
Statewide, Pennsylvania had recorded 1,136 cases across 41 counties as of Oct. 9, with 157 in the prior week, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Chester County is one of 12 counties where the state has confirmed community transmission.
Chester County Health Department Director Jeanne Franklin said on Oct. 5, in a MyChesCo report on the county's preparations for spillover from Lancaster County, "We have a very long border with Lancaster county, and these types of disease don't care about borders."
The pharmacy alert landed the same day Oxford Area High School in southern Chester County closed after a confirmed measles case in the school community, the Daily Local News reported. The Health Department has not said whether the two cases are connected.
Residents can schedule an MMR vaccine through the Chester County Health Department at (610) 344-4414.
