Measles Team, Rockland County Department of Health

Left to Right: Front row: Ronda Rosman, Program Specialist Public Health Education; Dr. Maria Mosquera, Medical Director; Dr. Patricia S. Ruppert, Rockland County Department of Health Commissioner of Health; Maria Souto, Coordinator of Communicable Disease Programs

Back row: Dr. Marela Velez Torres, Infectious Disease Clinic Physician; Sonya Frontin; Cynthia Stritmater, Coordinator of Disease Prevention and Control; Judith Doherty, Supervising Public Health Nurse; Lisa Zezima, Coordinator of Community Health Services; Bonnie Sullivan, Supervising Public Health Nurse; Kevin McKay, Director of Epidemiology;

Not Pictured: Lee Norris, Public Health Representative (NYS); Hara Hartman, Pharmacy Supervisor; Dr. Germaine Jacquette; Dr. Karen Southwick, Public Health Physician (NYS); Melissa Jacobson, Assistant Director of Public Health Education; Tsehai Lewis, Public Health Representative (NYS); Dr. Debra Blog Director Division of Epidemiology (NYS); Tatiana DeLuna-Evans, Public Health Specialist II; Elena Florez; Crystal Green, NYS Epidemiologist;

Irma Rivera, Public Health Representative; Julie Krauchuk, Supervising Nurse Practitioner and Director of Family Planning; Julie Ann Cunanan, Principal Clerk Typist; Lorraine DeLamar, Billing Clerk; Angela Alexander, Confidential Secretary

At the end of September 2018, The Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) engaged in a comprehensive effort to address a measles outbreak after an international traveler arrived in Rockland with a suspected case of the measles. This served to activate the RCDOH Center for Disease Prevention and Control protocol.Since measles is highly contagious, the NYSDOH was also enlisted to organize and coordinate a response. Once the suspect case was confirmed, a comprehensive plan of action was swiftly developed and implemented. Community engagement and vaccine points of distribution (PODs) were promoted to contain exposure and limit spread of the disease.Unfortunately, the initial case was followed by three more international travelers with confirmed cases and a number of confirmed suspect cases which led to additional PODs, press releases, community education, collaborative investigations. By the end of 2018, the innovative "Measles Team" directed by the Commissioner, supported by NYSDOH, identified 96 confirmed cases. RCDOH and its partners, along with health care providers have administered over 13,130 doses of MMR vaccine.The Team continues to work to limit exposures and provide free vaccine to protect all residents from the harmful effects of the measles virus.