Local hospitals have made it easier to identify some measles patients before they show up in the emergency room in the midst of a historic outbreak that has affected 225 people in the past seven months.

Montefiore Nyack Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern have tailored their Twiage emergency responders' communication systems, which allows pre-hospital communication between first responders and emergency department staff, to identify patients who may need to be isolated.

"The new chief complaint field labeled isolation was introduced so our ED (emergency department) staff could better respond to a potential measles case," Jeffrey Rabich, Nyack Hospital's chief of emergency medicine, stated in a press release. "We are being proactive about this community health emergency to assist with isolating cases of the measles, limiting potential exposure."

When a first responder uses the isolation field, the corresponding display screen in the hospital turns blue. The isolation field also provides more specific information, such as measles exposure, vaccination information and illness symptoms.

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The hospital has also implemented enhanced screening protocols for visitors and walk-in patients to the emergency room.

Good Samaritan Hospital has also responded to the measles outbreak by restricting anyone under the age of 18 who is not seeking treatment from visiting the hospital.

Vaccination clinic

Also Wednesday, the county announced is offering another free clinicfor anyone who has not been vaccinated, needs a second shot or is unsure of their immunization status.

The vaccine is considered 93% effective after one dose and 97% effective after two.

Clinicians will administer the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination on May 17 at the Christ Episcopal Church in Suffern.

Health officials urge all residents six months and older who have not been vaccinated or do not know their vaccination status to get the shot.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can stay in the air up to two hours after an infected person left and a person is contagious four days before the rash appears. About 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will get infected.

Rockland County health officials, including the county health department, private physicians and Refuah Health Center in Spring Valley, have administered more than 20,000 vaccinations since the outbreak began.

"Due to Rockland's small geographic size, exposure to the highly contagious measles virus may occur anywhere in the county," said Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, the county commissioner of health. "I can't stress enough the importance of being up-to-date with your measles vaccination. It's the best way to help protect yourself, your family, and the community, especially those who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions."

State of Emergency

Rockland County Executive Ed Day renewed a state of emergency late last month, despite an earlier emergency declaration being halted by the courts.

The new declaration targets those with measles or exposed to the virus in the Spring Valley and Monsey area, where most of the outbreak has occurred within the Orthodox Jewish community. Religious leaders in New Square have publicly supported vaccination efforts.

The order does not affect anyone with a religious or medical exemption.

The county is seeking to have a judge dismiss lawsuits challenging the original state of emergency, officials said on Friday. The lawsuits were filed by parents of students with religious exemptions to vaccinations.

The original declaration, which banned anyone 18 years old or younger from going to indoor public places, was issued at the end of March when there were 100 fewer cases in the county.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 764 cases in 23 states as of Friday, with an increase of 60 cases in the week prior, making it the greatest number of reported cases in the U.S. since 1994.

Measles was eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but outbreaks can occur when travelers bring measles in from other countries.

This outbreak is linked to one in Brooklyn with 466 cases. Both the Rockland and Brooklyn outbreaks were traced to travelers from Israel, where a year-long outbreak has made more than 3,900 people sick.

Rockland's 225 cases reported as of Wednesday represent the total since October; the county has declined to estimate the number of active cases at any given time.

A bill to repeal religious vaccination exemptions is being considered by the New York State Legislature.

If you go

What: Free measles vaccination clinic

Where: Christ Episcopal Church, 65 Washington Ave., Suffern

When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, May 17

Measles outbreak in Rockland County