12 Long Island residents alerted to possible measles exposure following new case

Suffolk County health officials say they are working with Northwell Health’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center to prevent the spread of measles after a Long Island child who visited the hospital was diagnosed with the virus this week.

Cohen Children’s Medical Center, located near the border of Queens and Long Island, has identified 12 Suffolk County residents who could have been exposed to measles at the hospital between March 3 and 6. All but one of those people were vaccinated, Grace Kelly-McGovern, a Suffolk County health department spokesperson, said Thursday.

One person who was exposed was a child too young to be vaccinated and has been quarantined, Kelly-McGovern said. She added that the child who was diagnosed with measles was also too young to receive the vaccine.

This is the third case of measles reported in New York this year as outbreaks rage in Texas and New Mexico.

“As we follow this case and closely monitor potential exposures, we strongly encourage all residents to protect their health and the health of our youngest and most vulnerable residents by ensuring they are on time and up to date on their measles vaccines and all recommended and lifesaving immunizations,” Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County commissioner of health services, said in a statement.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get the first dose of the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella between 12 and 15 months and a second dose between the ages of 4 and 6, before starting school. However, only about 81% of children in New York have received their first doses by the age of 2, according to the city and state health departments.

Two New York City infants under 12 months old contracted the virus earlier this year in unrelated cases, the New York City health department said last month. New York City had 14 measles cases last year.

New Jersey also reported three measles cases last month, which may have signaled community spread. But health officials issued an update on March 7 saying there is no ongoing transmission in the state at this time and no additional cases have been confirmed.