Possible Measles Exposure Linked to Capital Region Hospitals

25 years after officially being declared extinct in the USA, measles is back. The Capital Region is now being affected by this recent outbreak and health officials are warning people that they could have been exposed to this virus.

WNYT reports that people could have faced possible exposure to measles at two different area hospitals, Albany Med and Saratoga Hospital. People who visited Saratoga Hospital on July 14th could have been exposed to a confirmed measles case, and the same for July 16th at Albany Med.

Officials maintain that it is a low risk, but a risk is still a risk. For the time being a mask requirement has been installed at Saratoga Hospital.

According to PBS News, 2025 is seeing the worst case of measles in the United States in over 30 years. That data comes right from the CDC.

What is measles?

According to the CDC, measles is highly contagious and if you haven't received the measles vaccine you could be at serious risk. It spreads through the air from an infected person and the data states that if one person has it they can infect 9-10 other people in that time.

Symptoms

High fever (may spike to more than 104° F)
Cough
Runny nose
Red, watery eyes
Rash

The best way to fight this virus is with the vaccine. It requires two doses. Most children receive this in their normal rounds of vaccines when they are a baby. The people most at risk are those who may not have gotten that vaccine when it was first being administered starting in 1963.

Measles was officially declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, but now, 25 years later, we're seeing an increase in cases because people aren't getting the proper vaccinations done.