Pennsylvania warns of rise in congenital measles and infection during pregnancy

Key Points:

• The Pennsylvania Department of Health has issued an alert about a rise in measles infections among pregnant women and an increase in congenital measles, a rare condition in the U.S., with 66 pregnant women diagnosed since April.
• Congenital measles occurs in newborns whose mothers were infected shortly before birth, leading to symptoms like rash, fever, pneumonia, and potentially severe complications including neurological problems and death.
• The outbreak, largely affecting Amish communities with lower vaccination rates, has resulted in at least six babies born with congenital measles in Pennsylvania, with some requiring intensive care and one infant death reported.
• There is no specific treatment for congenital measles beyond supportive care, making vaccination prior to pregnancy the best prevention; pregnant women cannot receive the live vaccine but may get immunoglobulin after exposure to reduce illness risk.
• Long-term complications of congenital measles include severe brain inflammation known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), which is often fatal and may develop earlier in affected children.