Rising Measles Cases Force Hospitals to Reinstate Outdated Infection Control Protocols

The resurgence of measles in the United States is compelling medical centers to overhaul infection control procedures that had lain dormant for decades. John Goldman, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), noted that he had not treated a single case in thirty years until April, when his facility began seeing dozens of patients with the illness. “I never thought I would see this come back,” Goldman said.

The scale of the outbreak is significant. According to recent data, the country has surpassed 3,600 confirmed cases, marking the highest annual total since 1991. This surge has forced hospitals and providers to either reactivate long-standing protocols or create new ones to manage the highly contagious virus.

At UPMC’s community hospital in Lititz, located in Lancaster County—the epicenter of Pennsylvania’s current outbreak—staff have evaluated approximately 50 patients, with roughly 20 requiring admission. Statewide figures as of September 30 indicate 943 cases, 176 hospitalizations, and five fatalities.

To mitigate transmission risks, the Lititz hospital has intensified screening efforts. Staff now ask patients about specific symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, and red eyes, alongside vaccination status. Because the characteristic measles rash typically emerges three to five days after these initial symptoms begin, early identification is critical.

Hospital directives now require physicians to call ahead before transporting suspected cases to the emergency department. Patients are instructed to wear masks and wait in their vehicles in the parking lot, where staff will escort them directly to negative-pressure isolation rooms. These specialized spaces maintain lower air pressure than surrounding corridors, effectively trapping airborne pathogens and preventing spread. Goldman emphasized the urgency of these measures: “We are really trying to prevent people from coming to the hospital with measles, because once they’re in the hospital, it’s very easy for them to expose other people.”

In eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Jennifer Janco, chair of pediatrics for St. Luke’s University Health Network, observed similar trends. She stated that declining vaccination rates made the rise in cases inevitable. “It was only a matter of time before we started seeing cases,” Janco said.

St. Luke’s recently treated two unvaccinated siblings for measles in late July. While one sibling was hospitalized in a separate health network before being discharged, both recovered at home under remote pediatric supervision. The network has also conducted testing on additional patients suspected of infection as the outbreak continues to unfold.