Doctors in Pittsburgh concerned about measles after outbreak in Philadelphia
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — While we're all trying to stay healthy through the winter, doctors are now worried about the measles.
COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus are still going around this respiratory virus season, and now doctors in Allegheny County are concerned about measles after several cases popped up on the other side of the Commonwealth.
"It is very contagious, especially among unvaccinated people. It's more contagious than COVID or flu. It's one of those viruses when we see an outbreak, we do tend to get very worried. It's usually more in young children," said Dr. Brian Lamb, an internal medicine doctor with Allegheny Health Network.
With nine measles cases confirmed in Philadelphia, Lamb said we're fortunate it hasn't popped up in Allegheny County since 2019. But he and other doctors say vaccination rates for school-aged kids could be better.
"Over the last decade or so, we've seen the decrease in vaccinations for children. Comes back to a lot of misinformation. ... What we've seen though is the damage has been done, and there are people who are not vaccinating their kids against measles," Lamb said. "Vaccinate your children, one of the biggest things you can do."
The respiratory virus that doctors are most worried about right now is still COVID-19.
The Allegheny County Health Department said in this week's Board of Health meeting that on average, one person dies from COVID-19 every day in Allegheny County and hundreds more go to the hospital every week.
"A lot of people just got the idea of oh, it's over, or it's just going to cause a cold. Not in everybody. There are people who are going to have severe reactions, there are people who are going to die from it, there are people who are going to get very sick from it," Lamb said.
In Pennsylvania, 21 percent of adults and about 10 percent of kids are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dr. Lamb and other health experts would like it to be higher, especially for people considered high risk or older than 65. As we all try to stay healthy, Dr. Lamb said don't forget to wash your hands and stay home if you're sick.
"Stay home from work if you're sick. You don't want to spread it to your coworkers, don't send your kids to school sick. I know that's an inconvenience, but you don't want to be the one that unleashes a respiratory virus into a classroom," he said.
Dr. Lamb said talk to your doctor about the vaccines; he said some adults who got the measles vaccine a long time ago might need a booster.
The Allegheny County Health Department also said the flu and RSV are still going around. Six people have died and 19 have been hospitalized with the flu since the start of October in Allegheny County. As for RSV, there've been around 200 hospitalizations and no deaths reported.