The United States is witnessing an alarming upsurge in measles cases, posing heightened challenges for health care systems. Faced with these challenges, hospitals must ensure they are adequately prepared for potential outbreaks. Although procedures for handling measles exposures are often in place, it’s essential to routinely assess the efficiency and effectiveness of these protocols.
Dr. Ericka Hayes, senior medical director of infection prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), emphasized the importance of continuous training and education on measles readiness, given its lower frequency of occurrence. Regular drills and front-end preparedness can significantly optimize the response time and management of such unexpected events.
Following two measles cases at CHOP in 2025, which resulted in approximately 180 exposures, including 40 non-immune children, Hayes and her team reassessed their approach to infection control. This event, coupled with the nation’s surge in measles cases, led to the formation of a task force. The primary aim of this initiative was to review existing protocols and better equip the system to manage large-scale outbreaks. The task force zeroed in on four key areas for improvement: entry-point screening processes, exposure management, planning for substantial exposures, and early implementation of the MMR vaccination.
In a major shift towards process standardization, the task force implemented digital innovations in patient screening and exposure management. An enhancement in the electronic medical record system now allows for automated intake information updates regarding high-risk and high-transmission areas, improving the speed and accuracy of data management. Furthermore, the exposure management process was significantly streamlined. The new automated report generation capability in the EMR system significantly shortened the time required to identify non-immune patients requiring immediate post-exposure prophylaxis, from 6-8 hours to just 1 hour.
Reflecting on numerous measles cases resulting from international travel amongst younger patient cohorts, the team introduced automatic travel questionnaires on the EMR system for both well and sick visits. This proactive measure led to the identification of over 2,002 children traveling to high-risk areas, who subsequently received an early or second MMR vaccination.
In furtherance of this initiative, Dr. Hayes urged other hospitals to adopt such proactive measures, emphasizing the value of collaboration and prioritizing areas of greatest vulnerability. Equally critical is the establishment of strong partnerships with the local and state public health departments to ensure cohesive and impactful responses to large-scale, infectious disease scenarios.
Source: https://www.healio.com/news/pediatrics/20260410/qa-how-hospitals-can-prepare-for-measles-exposures