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Pennsylvania is facing a growing measles outbreak with the start of another school year and different approaches by Harrisburg and Washington toward vaccines.
The state Department of Health provides two new online tools this summer to help the public and parents track measles cases by county and in schools.
A dashboard for the general public provides measles case details by county, age and hospitalization rates. The dashboard is updated three times a week.
The school immunization rates interactive data tool launched last week provides information and annual data regarding vaccinations at schools in Pennsylvania.
The tool allows users to search for individual school data for grades kindergarten, seven and 12.
Pennsylvania requires yearly reporting of school immunization data for all students enrolled in kindergarten, seventh and 12th grades. Schools report their immunization data each December through a database called the School Immunization Law Report.
As of Wednesday, there have been 258 cases of measles so far this year in Pennsylvania. according to the dashboard.
Lancaster County has the greatest number of cases. Other counties in southeast and central Pennsylvania have reported cases, too.
Vaccines
The health department is engaged in a major effort to vaccinate individuals for measles which is a highly contagious disease. Measles can be fatal and cause serious health problems.
Measles symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes followed by a rash. Symptoms can start seven to 21 days after exposure.
"The best protection Pennsylvanians have against measles is getting vaccinated, as the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is highly effective, providing 97% lifetime protection after two doses," said department spokesman Neil Ruhland.
President Trump signed an executive order Monday calling to separate the MMR vaccine into three different shots given at separate appointments when possible.
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order last January recommending the current vaccine schedule developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Vaccine exemptions
Pennsylvania allows parents to opt out of vaccines for their children due to religious and personal reasons and if they have a medical condition that makes them unable to get a vaccine.
House Health Committee Majority Chair Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, is drafting legislation to require that parents seeking exemptions get annual counseling from a health care provider.
The counseling would cover the risks posed by vaccine-preventable diseases to their child and the broader community, current outbreaks and public health threats affecting Pennsylvania children; the potential for school exclusion, quarantine, or other public health measures during disease outbreaks; and benefits and risks associated with recommended childhood immunizations.
"Vaccines remain one of the most effective public health tools ever developed, protecting children and communities from dangerous and potentially deadly diseases. Yet obtaining an exemption from Pennsylvania's school immunization requirements is easier than complying with the requirements themselves," said Frankel in a memo.
"Under current law, families must provide documentation showing their children have received required immunizations or qualify for a medical exemption. Parents seeking a religious exemption, however, need only sign a form once, regardless of changing health risks, emerging disease outbreaks, or the availability of new vaccines," he said.
"This imbalance has become increasingly concerning as childhood vaccination rates continue to decline across Pennsylvania," added Frankel.