LEONARDTOWN, Md. — A suspected case of measles has been found in St. Mary's County, the health department stated.
On Sunday, officials said a patient was evaluated at MedStar St. Mary's Hospital Emergency Department and was isolated within some hours after arrival.
Potential exposure may have been from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. within the emergency department. Health officials are working with the hospital to address the issue.
The school system has been alerted to the case. No school has been affected by the case an no student has been reported ill with measles symptoms, according to Jeff Maher, spokesman for the St. Mary's County Public Schools.
State health officials have not revealed the age, sex or travel history of the individual with the suspected case.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control, if the suspected case is confirmed it will be the first in Maryland in 2019.
Measles outbreaks have become an increasing concern in the US as a small percentage of parents refuse to vaccinate their children based on scientifically unfounded fears that vaccines may be linked to autism and other ill effects.
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According to CDC data, approximately 92.4 percent of Maryland children ages 19-35 months have received at least the first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. By the time they've reached kindergarten, approximately 98.6 percent of Maryland children have received both MMR doses – giving Maryland the second-highest MMR vaccine compliance rate in the country, right behind Mississippi.
Recent outbreaks of the measles in Washington state, New York and New Jersey have been tied to unvaccinated in those areas. In Washington in particular, health officials have linked more than 60 measles cases mostly to children whose parents have chosen not to vaccinate them for non-medical, non-religious reasons.
In Maryland, non-medical vaccine exemptions are rare, with only .9 percent of the state's kindergartners claiming such a waiver. Another .6 percent are exempted for medical reasons. While that's low relative to the rest of the country, that number of vaccine-exempt children has nearly doubled over the past decade, rising from .8 percent in 2010 to 1.5 percent in 2018. Unlike Washington state, Maryland does not allow parents to claim philosophical exemptions for vaccinating their children.
A local hotline (301-475-4911) has been established to take questions and concerns from community members and will be open today, March 5, 2019 from 9:00 am-10:00 pm.