Baby Exposed To Measles At Pittsburgh Hospital

PITTSBURGH — A baby is in quarantine after she was exposed to measles during a routine check-in, her parents said.  Lauren Shoup tells our news partners at WPXI that she brought her 2-month-old daughter, Kieran, to UPMC Children’s Hospital in late August. A few days later, hospital staff called them to notify them of the direct exposure.  While Shoup, her partner and her two sons are vaccinated, Kieran is too young to get the vaccine. The quarantine only applies to her and is intended to keep her away from other unvaccinated people.  While Shoup had many good things to say about the care she usually gets at UPMC, she said she was frustrated by the hospital’s response to the exposure.  “The most important thing they said is, ‘Get back here ASAP… and Kieran will get an antibody injection. It should help her fight off the virus,’” Shoup said.  However, after that follow-up visit, during which the baby spent time with other patients in waiting rooms, elevators and the lobby, staff informed Shoup she should have been quarantining at home.  She also said – after directing questions to the state health department — the hospital provided her with a voicemail inbox to call with questions, which she believed was not very responsive to her concerns.  Due to the holiday, UPMC staff did not respond to Channel 11’s request for comment.  Kieran has about three weeks left of quarantine, which is the amount of time measles symptoms can take to display themselves after an infection occurs.