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Delaware County steps up vaccination outreach as measles and pertussis cases rise
Summary
Health department staff briefed the Board of Health on a recent measles exposure, a statewide rise in measles cases, a local pertussis surge, and expanded school and clinic vaccination efforts to raise immunization rates.
Delaware County public-health staff told the Board of Health that they are intensifying vaccination outreach after recent measles and pertussis activity and are expanding school and community clinics to close immunization gaps.
Carol Brown Collin, nurse manager for the department's disease investigation team, described a December 2023/January 2024 measles case in an infant who had traveled overseas. The child later sought care at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the county counted about "36 exposures that needed to be followed for weeks after the exposure," Collin said. She described the department's contact-tracing process and criteria for high-risk contacts (unvaccinated people, infants, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals).
Collin emphasized that measles remains serious: the county cited state data showing about 17% of recent measles cases required hospitalization. The department urged vaccination and rapid reporting by providers, and noted that infants traveling internationally may receive an early MMR dose at six months under CDC guidance.
The county also reported a large increase in pertussis cases in 2024, with 216 cases identified and a concentration among older children and teenagers. "Pertussis in the first stage is all cold-like symptoms," Collin said, which can delay diagnosis; recommended treatment for suspected pertussis is five days of azithromycin and home isolation until the course is complete.
Megan Shaikh, interim administrator for personal health, outlined local vaccination outreach. Comparing two six-month periods (Aug. 1'Feb. 1 for consecutive years), she said the health department increased vaccinations provided at its Yeadon wellness center and expanded school-based clinics. Shaikh said the department purchased and offered Tdap and MCV4 (meningococcal) vaccines to address lower adolescent coverage and held walk-in clinics for Upper Darby School District, vaccinating "over 90 families" at one event so students could avoid exclusion from school that day.
Shaikh described other partnerships and access points: Murphy's Giving Market (a food pantry), Centro de Apoyo (serving migrant families), William Penn and Interboro school districts, and the Chester office. She said the department's weekly clinic capacity increased from about six patients a day to roughly 12 as processes were streamlined.
Board members asked about coverage rates. Shaikh said Delaware County kindergarten MMR coverage was about 92% in the recent data snapshot and noted the commonly accepted herd-immunity threshold is about 94% for measles; "we're close, but we're not quite there," she said. The department uses the school immunization law report (SILR) to target under-vaccinated districts; staff reported nonreporting schools fell from 24 to 10 after outreach.
The health department also highlighted challenges with the state immunization information system: Shaikh said providers are not universally required to enter vaccination records into the state registry unless they participate in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, limiting the completeness of statewide data.
Officials emphasized practical steps: targeted school clinics with preconsent paperwork, evening and weekend clinic hours, and use of the VFC program to reach eligible families. They said preparedness plans and existing clinic workflows would allow quick response if a local measles outbreak occurred.
No formal board action was taken during the briefing; staff said they will continue outreach to reach higher coverage and report back on progress.
