2-month-old exposed to measles at Pittsburgh hospital, mother says

PITTSBURGH — A family is now stuck with a baby in quarantine after she was exposed to measles during a routine check-in, her parents said.

Lauren Shoup said she brought her 2-month-old daughter, Kieran, into 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.

She said staff told her she was caught by the “Day 1 hiccups,” but she believed UPMC had protocols in place for infectious diseases that should’ve been put in place immediately, especially because doctors were warning that it was only a matter of time before a measles case appeared in Allegheny County.

UPMC sent Channel 11 the following statement when we reached out:

“We understand how concerning a potential measles exposure can be, especially when it involves a very young infant. Our clinical and Infection Prevention teams are providing appropriate information and guidance to those directly affected. We are reviewing the concerns that have been raised and remain committed to working with public health officials and providing appropriate guidance to anyone who may have been exposed. Measles is a highly contagious disease, and vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones, and vulnerable members of the community who may be unable to receive vaccines or may not develop full protection because they are too young or have certain medical conditions. Because of patient privacy, we cannot discuss an individual patient’s care.”

“We’re not looking for any recourse,” Shoup said. “We want the public to be aware. We want the public to be safe. We want to stop the spread of measles.”

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.

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