Residents in Montgomery County can breathe a sigh of relief – a suspected case of measles in the county has been ruled not a case of measles, according to the Montgomery County Department of Health.
According to a press release sent Sunday, Feb. 8, the county health department has been in constant consultation with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the State Public Health Laboratory better known as the Bureau of Laboratories, and can report that all specimens were submitted and analyzed and measles virus was not detected.
In addition, the lab results showed that the individual had immunity; this is evidence that there was a reasonable antibody response from MMR vaccine that was previously received, the release stated.
“We are extremely relieved that there is currently no public health threat in Montgomery County from measles, and I compliment the staff in the Montgomery County Department of Health and the state Department of Health for the professional manner in which they handled this case,” said Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County Commissioners, in the release.
County officials notified the public Friday that they were investigating a possible measles outbreak concerning a 15-year-old boy, but did not specify where the boy was from or when the supposed outbreak took place.
According to the release, there is currently no public health threat from measles in Montgomery County, and both the state Department of Health and the Montgomery County Health Department continue to urge parents to have their children immunized.
