PITTSBURGH
The Allegheny County Health Department has reported that a minor under 18 who has not been vaccinated tested positive for measles and is currently recuperating at home.
This marks the first confirmed measles case for an Allegheny County resident in 2026, as announced by health officials on Monday.
According to the health department, individuals who were at the Target store in Pine Creek Shopping Center on McKnight Road between 3:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, October 1, might have been exposed. This store is located in McCandless.
“Not happy. But I feel confident I’ve gotten enough vaccines…” said Allison Arend, a resident of Wexford, who mentioned being at the McCandless Target during the exposure window. “I feel pretty confident, but not exactly happy that it happened at my own home Target.”
Health officials mentioned that no further details about the patient would be disclosed due to privacy concerns and confirmed there were no related exposures at schools.
“Measles is a respiratory virus, and it transmits from person to person through respiratory droplets, but also in tiny particles suspended in the air,” explained Dr. Amesh Adalja, an Infectious Disease Physician based in Pittsburgh. “Someone can be in a room with measles, leave, and then another person could enter that same room an hour later and contract the virus.”
So far in 2026, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has reported 1,004 cases of measles and five deaths attributed to the disease statewide. Adalja termed the current outbreak as unprecedented.
“This outbreak has gained so much momentum because, quite simply, there aren’t enough vaccinated individuals. It’s targeting unvaccinated people in various communities throughout the state,” Adalja noted. “This is the most contagious infectious disease that we know of.”
County health officials are advising unvaccinated individuals who think they may have been exposed to contact their healthcare provider. They emphasized the importance of calling ahead before visiting any healthcare facilities following a possible exposure.
