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Despite being previously vaccinated against the contagious illness, a Wellspan Health doctor has gone down with measles, making the second person to contract the virus in York County in the past few weeks.
Jennifer McCabe, a family medicine physician with WellSpan, announced that she is contracting measles in a journal posted by the medical company.
"I've decided to disclose my measles diagnosis because I believe it is in the best interest of our community," she said.
Specifically, McCabe said that it is important that everyone who is eligible gets vaccinated against the virus, "not just to protect yourself but to protect everyone around you."
Measles is highly contagious, and vaccinating against it can reduce the chances of exposure to the virus, McCabe said.
This reduction in exposure is especially important because of a small percentage of those vaccinated against the measles are still susceptible to the virus, McCabe said. She fits into that category.
McCabe has been vaccinated, and tested to be immune to the virus, she said.
"Unfortunately, I still got the measles," she said.
That's true even though McCabe and other Wellspan officials followed U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and state Department of Health guidelines, McCabe said.
McCabe stressed that the vaccine is still helping her cope with the virus.
"My symptoms are so severe that I am vaccinated," she said. "I have not had a fever, and I am not experiencing the red, itchy eyes or cough that typically come with measles."
McCabe quickly moved into the world of her home, she said.
Last week, officials at the state Department of Health released a list of locations, dates and times where people have been exposed to the virus. They are listed below:
- Fitness Crunch York, 905 Loucks Rd., York, PA on Sept. 9 from 8:30 am to 11:10 am
- Sheetz, 215 Arsenal Rd., York, PA, on Sept. 11 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
- Central York Middle School, 1950 N. Hills Rd., York, PA, on Sept. 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:10 p.m.
- Central York High School, 601 Mundis Mill Rd., York, PA, Sept. 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- WellSpan Stony Brook Health Center, 4222 E. St. Market, Lincoln Hwy. York, PA on Sept. 9 from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm; Sept. 10 from 7:15 am to 6:45 pm; Sept. 11 from 7:15 am to 1:45 pm; and Sept 12 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
There have been 14 cases of measles confirmed in Pennsylvania in 2019, and during that period, there have been more than 1,200 cases reported nationwide – the largest number since 1992, health officials said.
Measles can be spread through coughing, sneezing or other contact with the mucus or saliva of an infected person. Watery eyes, health authorities said.
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