HARTFORD -- The Department of Public Health said Friday that a third case of measles has been reported in the state and it's tied to the cases in New York.
The case is in New Haven County, said officials. DPH said that the patient contracted measles after being exposed during the last week of March while on a visit to Brooklyn, NY .
Health officials are looking into any possible individuals who may have been in contact with this person between Sunday through Friday - the time they say the person was infectious.
“There’s a lot of traffic between Connecticut and these communities in NYC that have been affected, all of us are sort of waiting to see if we’re going to get additional cases,” DPH Epidemiologist Matthew Cartter said.
The first two cases were reported in late January and early February.
In 2018, there were three confirmed cases of measles in Connecticut.
Dr. Cartter said this case is not connected to the two other cases of measles in Connecticut- as those were related to international travel.
“We are monitoring and investigating this case very closely, including working with our local health departments to follow up with any individuals that may have been exposed to measles,” said Connecticut DPH Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell. “Science tells us that the single best thing anyone can do to protect themselves from this highly contagious virus is to get vaccinated. Connecticut has very high vaccination rates, so we are at low risk for a widespread measles outbreak. If you have a fever and a rash and you think you might have measles, you should avoid public settings and call your healthcare provider BEFORE going directly to a healthcare facility so steps can be taken to avoid possibly exposing others."
“We are monitoring and investigating this case very closely, including working with our local health departments to follow up with any individuals that may have been exposed to measles,” said Connecticut DPH Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell. “Science tells us that the single best thing anyone can do to protect themselves from this highly contagious virus is to get vaccinated. Connecticut has very high vaccination rates, so we are at low risk for a widespread measles outbreak. If you have a fever and a rash and you think you might have measles, you should avoid public settings and call your healthcare provider BEFORE going directly to a healthcare facility so steps can be taken to avoid possibly exposing others."
New York is experiencing one of its largest measles outbreaks in decades, with over 130 cases documented, mainly among Orthodox Jewish communities in Rockland County and Brooklyn. The state’s health commissioner says most cases have been traced to international travelers returning from Israel and Europe, which have seen a recent surge in measles cases.
New York City declared a public health emergency Tuesday over a measles outbreak centered in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and ordered mandatory vaccinations in the neighborhood.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the unusual order amid what he said was a measles crisis in Brooklyn's Williamsburg section, where more than 250 people have gotten measles since September. Officials blamed the outbreak on "anti-vaxxers" spreading false information.