Measles at NJ school — months after outbreak ended

NUTLEY — Measles has returned to New Jersey, with a case confirmed at an Essex County elementary school.

The recent outbreak in New Jersey, with a total of 19 confirmed cases dating back to January 2019, was mostly in Lakewood and was considered by the state Department of Health to be over as of May 16. The department's website reported a new case was confirmed on Tuesday, but did not disclose a location.

It is the first confirmed case since mid-July, according to the agency.

"The source of this infection is currently unknown," it wrote.

An email sent by Nutley School Superintendent Dr. Julie Glazer to parents on Thursday said the case at the Washington Elementary School was confirmed by the Nutley Department of Health, according to NorthJersey.com.

In the email, Glazer said the school was thoroughly cleaned by the school's custodial staff.

There have been 1,243 individual cases of measles in 31 states between Jan. 1 and Sept. 26, the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1992, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of measles include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Measles can cause serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). In pregnant women, measles can lead to miscarriage, premature birth, or a low infant birth weight.

Outbreaks in Rockland County, New York, and in Brooklyn and Queens, were also declared to be over by their respective health departments.

According to the state Department of Health, 90% of people with close contact with an infected person will get measles if they are not vaccinated.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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