Monroe County Health Department alerts community after potential measles exposure at Strong Memorial Hospital

Monroe County, New York – The Monroe County Department of Public Health is alerting the community after an individual who tested positive for measles visited the Emergency Department at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester earlier this week.

According to health officials, the person was at the hospital between 11 p.m. Monday, September 7, and 2 a.m. Tuesday, September 8. The individual is not a resident of Monroe County. Because measles can spread easily from one person to another, officials are reviewing the possible exposure and taking steps to identify people who may have been in contact with the infected individual.

The Monroe County Department of Public Health, along with Strong Memorial Hospital, is reviewing records for patients who were in the Emergency Department during the three-hour exposure period. Patients who do not have documented evidence that they are immune to measles are being contacted by either the hospital or the health department, depending on the circumstances.

Officials said there is another group that could be more difficult to identify. Visitors and people accompanying patients may not appear in hospital records, meaning they could have been in the Emergency Department during the exposure period without being directly contacted.

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For that reason, anyone who was in either the Adult Emergency Department or Pediatric Emergency Department between 11 p.m. Monday and 2 a.m. Tuesday is being asked to pay close attention to their health.

People who may have been exposed should monitor themselves for signs and symptoms of measles through September 28, 2026. Health officials are asking anyone who develops symptoms during that period to take precautions before seeking medical attention.

“If you do become ill, you should seek medical care immediately:

• Contact your health care provider or emergency department before seeking care to avoid exposing others to illness;
• Do not go to work, school or other public places; and
• Notify the local health department about your possible exposure to measles. Residents of Monroe County should call 585-753-5555. All others, please call the local health department in the county where you live.”

The advance call is particularly important because a person with measles can expose other people in health care settings and public places. Contacting a medical provider before arriving allows staff to make arrangements that can reduce the chance of exposing additional patients and workers.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. It spreads through direct contact with nasal or throat secretions from an infected person. Despite the concern surrounding the possible exposure, health officials said the overall risk of illness is considered low because many people in the community already have immunity.

Immunity can come from vaccination or from having previously had measles. People who have not been vaccinated and have never had the disease face the greatest risk of becoming infected following an exposure.

Some people are also more likely to experience serious complications if they become infected. Infants, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of severe illness.

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The timing of symptoms is one reason officials are asking potentially exposed people to remain alert for several weeks. Symptoms typically develop about 10 to 12 days after exposure, although they can take as long as 21 days to appear.

Measles symptoms usually develop in two stages. During the first stage, which generally lasts between two and four days, a person may experience a runny nose, cough and a mild fever. The eyes can become red and sensitive to light. The fever may gradually increase each day and can reach between 103 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Small bluish-white spots surrounded by a reddish area can also develop inside the mouth. These symptoms may appear before the characteristic measles rash.

The second stage usually begins between the third and seventh day. A red, blotchy rash develops, typically starting on the face before moving downward and outward across the body. It can eventually reach the hands and feet. The rash generally lasts about five to six days and fades in the same order in which it appeared.

A person with measles can spread the disease from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash begins. While measles is often associated with childhood, people of any age can become infected if they do not have immunity.

Health officials emphasized that vaccination remains the strongest protection against measles. Individuals are recommended to receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine for protection.

The current alert does not mean that everyone who visited Strong Memorial Hospital during the specified hours will become ill. However, officials are urging anyone who may have been present to monitor their health and follow the recommended precautions if symptoms develop.

More information about measles is available through the Monroe County Department of Public Health and the New York State Department of Health.

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