The Rockland County Health Department says it is doing everything it can to contain the measles outbreak, which it calls the worst in the state in years.

The department confirmed Wednesday that someone with measles was inside the Best Buy at the Palisades Mall last weekend. It also said that the total number of confirmed cases is now up to 83.

Rockland County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert says the county has immunized 8,000 people in the last nine weeks - that's when measles first surfaced in the county.

She says they are continuing to work very closely with the state Health Department and physicians from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ruppert says the big message to residents is that the virus is spreading throughout the region, not just in Rockland, and that people need to protect themselves no matter where they live or shop.

"Everybody in the area needs to check to see if they're immune. And if they're not immune, they need to get immune. The MMR vaccine is available and free of charge. So they need to get immune because exposure can happen anywhere, anytime, not just at one store that didn't even affect the mall," she says.

The infected person was never inside the Palisades Mall – the person just went in and out of the Best Buy store last Saturday night.