Hospital implements visitation restrictions after visitor tests positive for measles… as virus kills two and reaches record numbers
A hospital in Pennsylvania has locked down its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after a visitor tested positive for measles and the state reported two measles deaths this week.
Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, a 2.5-hour drive outside Philadelphia, said the visitor was in the unit for four days from August 14 to 17 before the diagnosis.
The NICU cares for premature babies and sick infants who need around-the-clock treatment. Considered the sickest patients in a hospital, these individuals are too young to be vaccinated against measles or virtually any other disease.
Under the new rules implemented Monday, only the parents or legal guardians of patients are now permitted to visit the unit.
These visitors must show no signs or symptoms of measles and will be screened upon arrival before being allowed to enter. They are also ‘highly encouraged’ to wear a surgical mask.
At present, there is no exemption for vaccinated immediate family, such as grandparents, that would allow them to also visit the unit.
The infected visitor is no longer in the unit. It is not clear how long the restrictions will last or whether the visitor passed measles on to anyone else.
The US is currently battling a major measles outbreak, recording 2,777 infections so far this year – the most since 1991.
Shown above is Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, which implemented the restrictions
Pennsylvania is particularly hard-hit, recording the third largest outbreak in the US, with 424 cases and two deaths.
A total of 10 cases have been recorded in the counties surrounding Montour, where the hospital is based. The area has a large Amish and Mennonite population, groups that are historically less likely to be vaccinated against measles and less likely to come forward for testing if they fall sick with the virus.
Pennsylvania recorded two deaths linked to measles this week, marking the first in the nation this year and first in the state in 35 years. They were in Lancaster County, which is at the epicenter of the state’s measles outbreak.
Dr Michael Fitzpatrick, the hospital’s chief medical officer, said: ‘Our teams established entrance screenings to best protect our patients, visitors and staff as measles cases are rising in the area.
‘The screening process relies on accurate and complete information being shared at the time of entry.’
He added: ‘We understand how important it is for parents and immediate family members to be present with loved ones in the NICU, and we did not make this change in visitation policy lightly.
‘We carefully considered the impact on families before determining that these temporary restrictions were necessary to protect our most vulnerable patients.’
The Daily Mail contacted the hospital for further information.
The hospital announced the visiting restrictions on social media, but turned off commenting on its post.
Above is a stock image of a baby in a NICU, a section of a hospital that normally cares for its sickest patients
The above CDC map shows measles cases for 2026 by state, as of August 20
Babies on intensive care wards are at higher risk from virtually all diseases, including highly contagious and infectious measles.
In many cases, they may also lack the protective antibodies that mothers pass on to their babies shortly before birth.
It is for these reasons that NICUs enact visiting restrictions during winter months and disease outbreaks, including the Covid pandemic.
Fewer visitors slashes the risk of the sick babies being infected by pathogens that they may struggle to recover from.
Visiting restrictions were brought in for COVID during the pandemic before being relaxed in recent years as concerns over the virus eased.
For COVID, data shows that the virus hangs in the air for about 20 minutes after a person passes. Babies and young children generally are only at risk of a mild illness from COVID, although premature babies are more likely to suffer severe complications.
For comparison, measles is considered to be the most infectious disease known to man, as it remains in the air for two hours after someone passes. It is able to infect nine out of every 10 unvaccinated individuals who are exposed to the virus.
It is a particularly serious infection for those under five years old.
Estimates suggest one in every 20 children infected with measles is hospitalized, while one in 1,000 develops encephalitis, or swelling on the brain, and up to three in every 1,000 dies from the disease.
Children are recommended to get the MMR vaccine from age 12 months. Two doses slash the risk of infection by 97 percent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
