HOPEWELL — Ontario County is the latest Finger Lakes county to report measles cases.
The county's health department said this week that it was investigating two related cases of measles in unvaccinated residents.
Ontario County Public Health said in a news release that the department was notified of the positive results on Monday. It said both residents are isolating at home while they are at risk for exposing others.
To protect privacy, the health department said, additional details about the affected individuals will not be released.
The disclosure follows news that Yates County has a case with an unvaccinated resident. Last week, Seneca County disclosed five confirmed cases and likely many more.
Wayne County Public Health Deputy Director Kerry VanAuken said Tuesday that the agency had no reports of measles.
Ontario County Public Health said the overall risk of measles to the public is low, particularly for individuals who are fully vaccinated against the disease. However, Public Health noted that measles is extremely contagious, and anyone unvaccinated, pregnant, under 12 months of age, or immunocompromised is at a higher risk.
“Most people in Ontario County are vaccinated and are not at risk of getting measles,” said Public Health Director Kate Ott. “If unsure of your vaccine status, contact your healthcare provider.”
The department said adults born before 1957 are presumed immune because they would have had the illness in childhood prior to the advent of vaccines.
If you have symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes and rash, isolate, wear a mask and call ahead if you plan to seek medical care in a provider’s office, urgent care or emergency department, the health department said.
Measles can be a serious illness, the health department noted. It is estimated that one to three individuals out of every 1,000 with measles die due to complications of the disease. Those complications can include pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), and ongoing neurological damage. Measles can also interfere with the body’s immune response to other vaccine preventable diseases, officials noted.
For more information, contact the Ontario County Public Health at 585-396-4343 or go to ontariocountyny.gov/2215/Diseases-and-Viruses or health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/measles.
