Second measles case discovered at LLWS

This one was not a player, but an acquaintance of the first measle victim.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — An acquaintance of a Little League player from Japan diagnosed last week with measles at the World Series may have also contracted the contagious illness, the state health department said Friday night.

The state was awaiting test results to confirm the diagnosis, health department spokeswoman Larissa Bedrick said.

Little League spokesman Lance Van Auken said Friday night there was a confirmed second case of measles, and that the person has no connection to the Little League World Series.

“We’re looking at a likely second case,” Bedrick said in a phone interview. “We do believe these two individuals had contact back in Japan, not here. ... They are acquaintances.”

Sets up information booth

State health officials planned a news conference Saturday at the Little League complex in South Williamsport, before the start of the international championship game between Japan and Curacao. The state was setting up an information booth there to answer questions, Bedrick said.

Bedrick said most people should not be worried about contracting measles.

“The majority of people are immune to measles or have some level of immunity,” she said.

Those still worried will be able to get a free vaccination shot at the information tent, she said.

The player with measles was quarantined Aug. 16, when he was diagnosed. He was released from isolation Sunday after doctors said he was no longer contagious, and has played with the squad this week.

Little League officials have not released the boy’s name, citing privacy rules. The boy specifically had rubiola or the “seven-day measles,” Little League medical director Dr. David Ambrose said.

Learned of case Friday

Van Auken said Little League learned of the latest case from the state Friday afternoon. That person did not have access to the team dormitory complex known as “The Grove,” he said

Little League officials last week asked players, coaches and others with Grove access to either prove they already had measles shots; take a blood test; or get an immunization shot on site. About 500 kids and coaches were affected.

Those people have been cleared, Van Auken said.

Measles is a highly contagious illness spread by a virus transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or, less commonly, through the air, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While no longer common in the United States, the World Health Organization estimates 30 million people are affected by measles each year. The illness is relatively common elsewhere in the world, including some developed countries in Europe and Asia.