Chester County warns of possible measles exposure at multiple pharmacies
Measles case prompts closure of Pennsylvania high school
Oxford Area High School will be closed for all students and staff on Friday, Oct. 9, following confirmation of a measles case connected to the campus community, the school district announced late Thursday.
CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. - Health officials in Chester County are warning the public about potential measles exposure at several area pharmacies. The warning comes just one day after Oxford Area High School was forced to close after a confirmed measles case was connected to the campus community.
Chester County measles exposure
What we know:
According to health officials, the potential exposures all happened on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the following times and locations:
- CVS at 870 Baltimore Pike, Kennet Sqaure between 10:45 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- CVS at 857 Baltimore Pike, West Grove between 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
- Giant at 849 Baltimore Pike, West Grove, between 1 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.
What to do if you think you've been exposed to measles
Why you should care:
Anyone who was at any of those pharmacies at any of those times should first check if they're protected against measles, health officials said. That includes anyone born before 1957, anyone who has already had measles, and anyone who has received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine.
If you are not protected from measles, anyone who thinks they might have been exposed should look out for symptoms like fever, runny nose, a cough and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash on the head.
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Oxford Area High School closed Oct. 9 following confirmed measles case
Oxford Area High School will be closed for all students and staff on Friday, Oct. 9, following confirmation of a measles case connected to the campus community, the school district announced.
Anyone who starts to see those symptoms should contact their doctor. Health officials warn that you should call any doctor before you arrive, to tell them you're concerned about measles exposure.
Doctors say that measles symptoms typically appear one to two weeks after exposure, but could show up as many as three weeks later.
Pennsylvania measles outbreak
By the numbers:
In the last year, the state of Pennsylvania has confirmed more than 1,100 measles cases, with more than 150 new cases reported in the last week. Five people have also died.
Chester County has reported 87 measles cases in the last year. Only Mifflin and Lancaster counties have reported more.
The Oxford Area High School was forced to close on Friday, after officials confirmed one measles case connected to the school community. Oxford officials announced Friday that after the school followed "appropriate health and safety precautions," their football game at Kennet High School would go on as scheduled Friday night.
The Source: Information in this story comes from a press release from the Chester County Health Department, statistics on statewide and local measles cases from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, an announcement on Friday's football game on the Oxford Area School District Facebook page, and previous FOX 29 reports on the recent confirmed measles case connected to the school.