October 09, 2026
Ken Ruinard/USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
Oxford Area High School is closed Friday due to a confirmed case of measles in its school community. Above, a vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
Oxford Area High School is closed Friday due to a confirmed measles case in the school community.
The Chester County Health Department is contacting people who may have been exposed to the virus, David A. Woods, superintendent of Oxford Area School District, said in a letter to families Thursday. The school was closed so officials can verify immunity documentation for all staff members who work in the building. The district has students' vaccination records on file.
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Anyone who is not vaccinated against measles, or able to prove their vaccination status, will not be allowed to attend school or school functions and must quarantine for 21 days.
"We recognize that situations such as this can be unsettling, especially when they involve the health of children," Woods said. "Please know that we are committed to keeping our school community informed, supporting our families and working in partnership with public health officials to help protect the health and safety of everyone in our schools."
Enhanced cleaning and disinfection was completed at the school "out of an abundance of caution," Woods said.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze or talk. People who are not protected from measles can contract it by breathing in air up to two hours after someone with measles has left the area. Measles is contagious between four days before and four days after a rash develops.
Health officials have urged people who have never had measles or have not received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to get vaccinated. Two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective at preventing the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Oxford Area High School's measles case comes as the state has been grappling with the United States' largest measles outbreak in 35 years. As of Friday morning, the state's measles dashboard shows 1,078 cases and 207 hospitalizations in 39 counties this year. Chester County has reported 86 cases.
Philadelphia has not reported any case this year, but health officials have warned of potential exposures at the Philadelphia International Airport and the neonatal intensive care unit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Last week, the state reported that an unvaccinated Lancaster County resident tested positive for measles and died, marking the state's fifth measles-associated death this year. Pennsylvania defines measles-related deaths as those that occur within 30 days of the onset of symptoms from a lab-confirmed measles case and are not due to unrelated causes.
Pennsylvania's outbreak has provoked a clash between Gov. Josh Shapiro and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has posted debunked claims that MMR vaccines contain fetal tissue and accused Shapiro of fabricating deaths. The CDC has only listed two measles deaths nationwide. Shapiro has said Pennsylvania will not accept any federal funding to fight the measles outbreak until the CDC acknowledges its other measles-related deaths.
