Philadelphia Department of Public Health announces end to measles outbreak

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced that the recent measles outbreak is officially over.

Tuesday's announcement came after 42 days of no new cases being identified, according to the department.

A total of eight Philadelphia residents and one non-Philadelphia resident tested positive for measles during the outbreak from December 2023 to January 2024.

Six of the Philadelphia cases were hospitalized, but all were treated and later released, officials say.

Six cases of measles were in children, while two others were in adults.

Measles is a virus that spreads easily, according to health officials. With 93% of Philadelphians being up-to-date on the MMR vaccine, the department said the outbreak did not spread far.

Some symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, cough, and puffy eyes, followed by a rash. In some cases, it can be a serious infection that leads to pneumonia, brain infection, and death.

"In the past, Philadelphia has suffered from extensive measles outbreaks," said the Health Department's Director of Disease Control, Dr. Landrus Burress. "Thanks to quick work by our staff and collaboration with healthcare and childcare systems throughout the region, we were able to keep this outbreak small and quickly resolved."

As part of the city's response to the outbreak, the health department says it will continue to maintain its webpage on measles information.