With 350 reported measles cases in Ontario since the fall, parents across New York State are being urged to get their children vaccinated against the highly infectious disease.
State Commissioner of Health, James V. McDonald said the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is the most effective way to prevent measles, and is is 97% effective if an individual has been issued the full dose.
He noted that herd immunity is a 95% immunization rate, a mark Erie County has not yet reached.
"If you look at some of our counties they are much higher risk than others because if your immunization rates are low, then that county is much higher risk," McDonald said.
"When I look at Erie County, it's 87.7% for people under two. It's not at 95%."
The overall immunization rate for the state sits at 81%.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said four cases of measles have been reported across the state so far this year - three in New York City and one in Suffolk County. All four cases were confirmed in unvaccinated people, and three of those cases were "imported" according to McDonald, which means they were brought in through travel.
Whilst those numbers do not constitute a state outbreak, Hamburg native Hochul said she was concerned about the numbers across the border in Ontario.
"I'm from that area. It's not a foreign country to people in Western New York. It is where you go for dinner and shopping back and forth across the border, sports events, etc, and those are large gatherings. So that's my concern right now, that that could spike," she said.
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes, lasting 2-4 days prior to rash onset.
According to the CDC, infected people are contagious from four days before the rash starts through four days afterward. The incubation period for measles, from exposure to fever, is usually about 7–10 days, and from exposure to rash onset is usually about 10–14 days.
The virus can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
With 20% of infected individuals winding up in the hospital, McDonald reminded New Yorkers measles is "not a harmless childhood infection."
He believes reaching herd immunity through vaccination is an achievable goal, and said there's no shortage of vaccine.
The current version of the MMR vaccine has been in use since 1971, and is "very safe," he added.
"I've been a pediatrician for over 35 years. I still haven't had a parent call me after the Measles Mumps and Rubella vaccine with a serious concern, and I've personally administered over tens of thousands of doses of vaccine. So I know what the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine does: it protects children from measles."
Children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine to be fully immunized. The first dose is issued to children between 12 to 15 months old, and the second as the child begins Kindergarten at around 4-6 years of age.
McDonald said adults who are unsure if they received both doses of the MMR vaccine as a child should talk to their doctor about getting the second dose.
Measles outbreaks in West Texas and New Mexico are now up to nearly 320 cases, and two unvaccinated people have died from measles-related causes, according to the Associated Press.
