DE health officials ‘on pins and needles’ after measles cases in PA

As measles cases increase in Pennsylvania, Delaware health officials say they are on high alert, warning that “infectious diseases don’t care about state borders.”

Dr. Ayanna Buckner, chief physician in the Delaware Division of Public Health’s Office of Epidemiology, said as of July 9, Delaware did not yet have any confirmed measles cases. 

But she noted the state is vulnerable given its close proximity to outbreak locations, prior exposure incidents in Delaware and the highly contagious nature of the disease.

She also noted Delaware has already encountered potential measles threats this year, including an exposure linked to an out-of-state patient who sought treatment at Nemours Children’s Hospital and the detection of measles in a Lewes wastewater sample.

“We do feel that our Delaware community is at high risk,” Buckner said. “We spend so much time doing investigations around infectious diseases, and measles is the one that we are on pins and needles about this summer.”

As of July 8, Pennsylvania had 101 confirmed measles cases so far in 2026, up from 94 on July 6. The majority of those were in Lancaster County – 60 total cases this year, including 52 since late April – and Lebanon County – 20 cases. These counties do not border Delaware.

However, four cases have been confirmed in Chester County since April. Chester borders the First State.

“We can’t say, ‘Oh, that’s over there in that state; we’re [OK],’” Buckner said. “Again, because infectious diseases don’t respect state borders.”

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. Quotations are verbatim.

Question: How concerned should Delaware residents be about measles?

Answer: So far this year, the Division of Public Health has issued two health alerts about measles. The first was in February, when an unvaccinated resident of another state who was infected sought treatment at the Nemours Children’s Hospital emergency department. Health officials notified anyone who was potentially exposed and conducted contact tracing.

The second alert came in April, after routine wastewater testing in Lewes detected measles in a water sample.

“We were concerned that a measles case would pop up in Delaware, but that never happened. So we are making a guess that perhaps someone was traveling through the area. But again, if someone with measles travels through here, they could still potentially expose people that they come in contact with in Delaware.”

If a fully vaccinated person is exposed to measles, then visits or cares for an unvaccinated person, what’s the risk to the unvaccinated person?

Everything in the study of infectious diseases is a risk calculation, and a situation like that would be considered low risk. But “that is why vaccination is so important.”

What would you say to someone who is hesitant about vaccination?

“I cannot give a stronger recommendation for them, especially at this time. And I say especially at this time because every meeting I’m in, when I’m meeting with other states, when I’m attending national meetings, we’re always talking about measles.”

Given large-scale public events throughout the region this summer, such as the FIFA World Cup and American 250th anniversary events, “one of our biggest concerns is measles.”

My child isn’t old enough to be vaccinated. Are there common sense precautions I can take?

The first dose for infants is usually given between 12 and 15 months. Some states with outbreaks are recommending that babies get them earlier. Delaware is not one of them. However, it has long been recommended that a baby six months old or older who is planning to travel abroad get the measles vaccine.

“Be thoughtful about prevention and be really vigilant. If someone is telling you they’ve got a rash, they’ve got a cough, really try not to be around them. So often folks are like, ‘Oh, I can’t miss work,’ or ‘I don’t want to miss this playdate.’ But if someone’s sick, don’t bring your baby around.”

If I suspect myself or my child has measles, should I show up unannounced at a doctor’s office?

No. Call ahead and follow the health care facility’s instructions.

Are adults who were vaccinated decades ago still protected? 

If you were born before 1957, you are considered immune. If you were fully vaccinated, you’re also considered immune. If you’re concerned, however, your doctor can order a blood test to check for immunity. Such testing is fairly common.

“When we are doing a measles investigation, the first thing we ask is, ‘Are you vaccinated? Can you show us proof of vaccination?’ If we can’t find it in our Delaware database, then we ask people, ‘Can you show us your records?’ If people don’t have them, then we think about whether we need to recommend prophylaxis. But one of the steps in between is people will frequently go and have their (blood) drawn, which can demonstrate immunity.”

If a measles case is identified in Delaware, what happens next?

The process begins by identifying those who were exposed and inquiring about vaccine status. Then, health officials will “make appropriate recommendations about prophylaxis” – or a measure taken to prevent a disease from occurring before it becomes an active illness.

“We will also work with facilities depending on what type of facility it was. If it’s a hospital, we usually can get names and make phone calls to them. But sometimes it’s a public event, and we don’t have someone who can just give us all the names, so we will use social media and/or provide a letter that the facility can provide to inform people. I strongly encourage everyone to follow the Division of Public Health social media pages … We also strongly encourage health professionals, school leaders, business leaders, as appropriate, to sign up for our Delaware Health Alert notification, and that’s on our website.”