MONTICELLO, NY — Sullivan County public health officials sent out an email on February 27 announcing that the specimen they sent to the state to be tested turned out to be negative for measles.

The day before, Nancy McGraw, the director of public health, sent out a release saying that while there is no measles outbreak in the county, officials were investigating a “possible but not probable” case of the illness.

The second notification said, “In 2000, the United States declared that measles was eliminated from this country. Since then, however, the annual number of cases in the U.S. has increased from a low of 37 in 2004 to a high of 644 in 2014. The majority of cases have been among people who are not vaccinated against measles.

“Measles is highly contagious. The measles virus lives in the mucus in the nose and throat of infected people. When they sneeze, cough or talk, droplets spray into the air and the droplets remain active and contagious on infected surfaces for up to two hours.

“The single best way to prevent measles is to be vaccinated. Most people in New York have been vaccinated, but if unsure, should check with their physician. Individuals should receive two doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be protected.”

Sullivan County Public Health offers immunization clinics the first Wednesday of every month from 4 to 7 p.m. or by appointment at the Shared Clinic Facility at 50 Community Ln., Liberty.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 150 people have come down with the measles in the United States since the beginning of the year. The CDC says it is possible that measles could become endemic in the United States again, especially if vaccine coverage levels drop.

From the CDC website: “Research shows that people who refuse vaccines tend to group together in communities. When measles gets into communities with pockets of unvaccinated people, outbreaks are more likely to occur. These communities make it difficult to control the spread of the disease and make us vulnerable to having the virus re-establish itself in our country.

“High sustained measles vaccine coverage and rapid public health response are critical for preventing and controlling measles cases and outbreaks.”