4 more cases of measles confirmed in Kentucky; public health official urges vaccination
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
Public health officials announced Friday, June 27, that four new cases of measles have been reported in Kentucky. All four Kentuckians were unvaccinated.
Three of the four cases were from the same household in Woodford County and the fourth, unrelated, was in Todd County and involved someone known to have been exposed while traveling internationally.
Cassie Prather, director of the Woodford County Health Department, told WKYT-TV: “There is no need for any kind of panic at this point. We do have everything under control at the local level.”
She added that the health department is working with state officials to do contact tracing to find out where the infected patient could have exposed others to the virus, noting that the virus is highly infectious.
This marks six total measles cases reported in Kentucky this year.
“Measles is a serious disease,” said Kentucky Department for Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack. “Fortunately, people can avoid measles through safe and effective vaccinations. We urge all parents to have their children vaccinated to ensure they are protected from preventable diseases like measles.”
These cases occur amid the largest measles outbreak in the United States since it was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 1,200 cases this year.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause serious health complications, especially in young children. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can survive for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
Early symptoms of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose and red/watery eyes. A measles rash typically appears three to five days after the symptoms begin, usually on the face before spreading down the rest of the body.
The two-dose MMR vaccine is recommended for children at 12 to 15 months old and then at 4 to 6 years old. The CDC says two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles.
Kentucky’s first confirmed measles case of 2025 occurred in an adult resident in February. The second case occurred in March in a child who was traveling through the commonwealth when they sought treatment.