Measles exposures reported at UPMC Children’s Hospital after two visitors test positive

Allegheny County health officials announced Thursday that two individuals who visited UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh last week have tested positive for measles, prompting warnings of potential exposure in the hospital’s main lobby, third-floor waiting and clinic areas, cafeteria and elevators. The health department said hundreds of people may have been exposed during the visits.

"It is a large number of people, bigger than what we’ve seen before," said Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chief medical officer and chair of its emergency medicine department.

The exposure involved a child and two parents who were at the hospital for a scheduled appointment; officials did not confirm whether the visit was related to measles. This is the third confirmed case at the facility, following a Jefferson County resident diagnosed after visits on Aug. 12 and Aug. 18.

State health department spokesman Barry Ciccocioppo said the home counties of the two newly diagnosed individuals are still unknown. The county’s website notes this is the first confirmed measles case in Allegheny County since 2019.

Measles spreads through respiratory droplets and can remain airborne or on surfaces for up to two hours. An infected person can transmit the virus from four days before to four days after the rash appears, with symptoms typically emerging seven to 21 days after exposure.

UPMC is contacting identified patients and staff, while the health department urges anyone who was in the listed areas to verify their vaccination status and consult a healthcare provider. The MMR vaccine provides near-complete immunity, and officials emphasized vaccination as the primary protection against infection.

The incidents are part of a broader Pennsylvania measles outbreak that has affected nearly 500 people this year, primarily among unvaccinated individuals, with significant clusters in Lancaster, Mifflin, Snyder, Jefferson, Centre and Clearfield counties.