Officials identified at least 13 people in Kentucky who are confirmed to have measles as of Monday. In a brief statement on the state’s measles dashboard, the Kentucky Department of Public Health said “additional cases and exposures are being investigated.”
Outbreaks of the highly contagious respiratory disease are becoming increasingly common across the country. This marks Kentucky’s second outbreak of the year, after four cases of the potentially life-threatening virus cropped up in Jessamine County in January.
Most of the state’s measles cases come from the most recent outbreak beginning in July and August centered in Christian County with cases in surrounding counties. The most recent case presented in an unvaccinated Kentuckian who may have been exposed by an out-of-state visitor. All of this year’s 17 confirmed cases are among unvaccinated Kentuckians or those with unknown vaccination status. Last year, Kentuckians saw 13 cases of measles.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 2,566 confirmed measles cases thus far this year and 38 new outbreaks across the country. This year’s total cases have already surpassed last year’s total, which were the highest levels seen since 1991. In 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the United States, but cases have spiked amid rising vaccine misinformation and hesitancy.
Kentucky Health Secretary Dr. Steven Stack said in a statement that measles can be life threatening, but is “almost entirely preventable” with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
“We urge all parents and caregivers to talk to their healthcare providers about their child’s immunizations and how best to keep their families healthy,” Stack said after the first case emerged last week.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at upending childhood vaccine recommendations, including separating the MMR vaccine into three single-disease shots administered at separate visits. Trump and others in his administration such as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have repeated debunked claims about vaccines and their relationship to autism.
The earliest measles symptoms are usually similar to other viral infections — cough, runny nose, fever — and later infected people usually develop a rash and severe fever. Young children, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems are the most at risk of severe complications including pneumonia and brain swelling, which is life threatening.
As a highly infectious disease, the virus can live in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has already left the area and can spread to others before a person starts showing symptoms.
Last month, Louisville public health officials detected measles in the city’s untreated wastewater, although no cases have been confirmed. It means at least one person with measles went undiagnosed or unreported.
According to the Kentucky Immunization Registry, more than 70% of Kentucky 6 year olds are fully vaccinated against measles, a number which has steadily increased since 2022. In Christian County, where the most recent outbreak is centered, that rate is significantly lower at just 56.7% of 6-year-olds, the third lowest in the state.
Christian County Health Department Director Devin Brumfield said his staff is working closely with the state to identify exposures and inform those who are at risk.
“We encourage residents to review their vaccination status for measles, mumps, and rubella and to contact CCHD or their healthcare provider with potential concerns,” Brumfield said. “We will continue to share information as it comes available while respecting patient privacy.”
