Parents and guardians: Orange County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman is advising school districts that as of April 30, there are 23 confirmed cases of measles in Orange County.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus that is spread by direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected people.  Symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis and/or runny nose.  Symptoms usually appear in 10-12 days after exposure but may appear as early as  seven days and may take as long as 21 days.

If you or your child have been exposed to measles or are having any of these symptoms, please keep your child home and contact your health care provider immediately by phone or the Orange County Department of Health at 845-291-2330 before seeking care to avoid exposing others to illness.

In the event of a measles exposure in our school district, students who have not received their first dose of MMR vaccine (and do not have evidence of serologic immunity) will need to remain home for 21 days after the date of last exposure in the school.  Students with only one dose of MMR vaccine will need to receive a second dose before returning to school.  If your child is unvaccinated or under-vaccinated, we encourage you to speak with your health care provider as soon as possible to discuss your vaccination needs.

The single best way to prevent measles is by vaccination.

You can get more information about measles by calling the New York State Department of Health toll free Measles Information Line at 888-364-4837