Schools Brace Themselves For Swing State’s New Epidemic. But Is It Actually Impacting Kids?

As measles cases surge across Pennsylvania, schools are reportedly developing “response plans” involving vaccination and isolation — even as reports indicate the current outbreak is not affecting children as severely as previous ones.

As the swing state recorded 977 cases across 39 counties as of Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, school districts across Western Pennsylvania are formulating measles-response plans, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Sunday. However, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) reported on Monday that 69 percent of all cases in Pennsylvania are adults — a near reversal of the national pattern of the disease in which 61 percent of cases involve children and teens.

Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District officials decided to put an action plan in place with Somerset County officially reporting 14 measles cases as of Sunday, according to the Post-Gazette.

“If a student gets sick with measles at school: the child will be isolated. Parents will be contacted and the district will follow CDC guidelines to disinfect that school,” the outlet described the plan.

If the infected child happens to be un-vaccinated or even “under-vaccinated,” the child must stay home and be excluded from school for at least 21 days, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Staff at the school must abide by the same regulation “if they are not able to provide proof of immunity,” Post-Gazette reported.

However, since the article’s publication on Sunday, the disease still has not been reported inside the District’s student body — meaning none of the 250 children from across five communities have fallen ill from the virus.

The DCNF reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and several counties and districts in the area — including Somerset County and Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District — but did not receive comment in time for publication.