LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. - Two Lehigh County children are the first cases of measles in the Lehigh Valley.
"The children were unvaccinated," said David Synnamon, director of the Allentown Health Bureau.
Synnamon says the bureau was notified Friday the children were exhibiting signs of the highly contagious disease.
"With these two with these two individual cases, it does seem like they are isolated. But you know, you can never know at the end of the day because of how. Long measles takes to incubate and the contagion period and things of that nature," said Synnamon.
The Lehigh County cases bring Pennsylvania's total to 176 cases.
nationwide that number is closing in on three thousand.
Measles is highly contagious...for instance, if someone with Measles coughs, infectious droplets can linger in the air or on surfaces for two hours.
"So even if you are not in close contact with that person, if you share the room and breathe the same air with the person with measles, you can actually be exposed and contract measles," said Dr. Tivisai Villalobos, Chief of the Infection Diseases at Riley Children's Hospital, Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Villalobos says health officials are taking proactive measure to be ready to treat cases while also minimizing spread.
"We're offering video visits to try to screen those patients and minimize exposures in our offices, but also all our emergency rooms are also equipped to try and see and follow the isolation precaution for those patients that may come with those symptoms," said Villalobos.
Health officials say there is an easy way to prevent Measles.
"Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate is the message," said Synnamon.
The Allentown Health Bureau is having a series of shot clinics for school age kids who are required to get the Measles vaccination before attending school.
As for adults, the CDC has recommended adults who were born from 1963-1967 who may have gotten a single shot to talk to their doctor about getting re-vaccinated.