After 42 days with no new cases, Philadelphia health officials announced that the recent measles outbreak is officially over.
A total of eight people tested positive for measles in Philadelphia during the outbreak, and one outside of Philadelphia, health officials said.
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Six of the infected people in Philadelphia were hospitalized but were eventually discharged, health officials said. Six of the cases were children and two were adults.
Health officials say measles is highly contagious and can have serious consequences. With 93% of Philadelphia residents up to date with her MMR vaccine, the outbreak did not spread further.
“Philadelphia has suffered from large measles outbreaks in the past,” Dr. Landrus Valles, director of disease control for the Philadelphia Department of Health, said in a news release. “Thanks to the quick response of our staff and collaboration with health and child care systems across the region, we were able to keep this outbreak small and quickly resolved. Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians who lost their lives. You kept us safe.”
In response to the outbreak, the Ministry of Health held free vaccine clinics to help residents meet their MMR vaccination schedules.
Health officials recommend that all Philadelphia residents talk to their health care provider about whether they should receive the MMR vaccine.
The MMR vaccine is available at many health care providers' offices and pharmacies.
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