Eight people have been diagnosed since last month. None was immune to measles — meaning they either never got vaccinated or contracted measles before.

At least eight people have been diagnosed with measles in an outbreak that started last month in the Philadelphia area. The most recent two cases were confirmed on Monday.

The outbreak began after a child who’d recently spent time in another country was admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) with an infection, which was subsequently identified as measles. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health considers the case to be “imported” but did not say from where.

The disease then spread to three other people at CHOP, two of whom were already hospitalized there for other reasons.

Two of those infected at the hospital were a parent and child. The child had not been vaccinated and the parent was offered medication usually given to unvaccinated people that can prevent infection after exposure to measles, but refused it, the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported.

Despite quarantine instructions, the child was sent to day care on Dec. 20 and 21, the health department said.

  • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
    2413·
    10 months ago

    Its tempting to rail against these parents but for the daycare part specifically let us not forget that people in America don’t get free healthcare, and we dont get paid sick days. You take your kid to daycare not because you fucking want to, your American boss doesn’t give a shit about your problems, he needs you in right now or you’re looking for another way to feed your kids

    • Null User Object@programming.dev
      52·
      10 months ago

      True, but in this specific case,

      The child had not been vaccinated and the parent was offered medication usually given to unvaccinated people that can prevent infection after exposure to measles, but refused it, the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported.

      This parent strongly deserves a good railing against.