By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
As of Sept. 21, Kentucky has confirmed 49 cases of measles in its current outbreak, up from 42 cases a week ago, according to the state’s measles dashboard.
The dashboard is updated daily Monday through Friday, except on state holidays.
Those cases are in Barren (5 cases); Caldwell (2); Carroll (1); Christian (20); Lewis (2); Owen (2); Todd (1); Trigg (10); Trimble (1); and Washington (5) counties. Carroll, Lewis and Trimble counties saw their first measles cases in the current outbreak.
Three more people have been hospitalized since Kentucky Health News’ last report, bringing total hospitalizations up to seven.
Except for two cases, all of the confirmed cases, including four cases in Jessamine County earlier this year that are not part of the current outbreak, are in individuals who are either unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the dashboard.
The dashboard reports that one of the individuals had received one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and one had received the recommended two-dose series of the vaccine.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause serious health complications, especially in young children. Measles is spread through the air, where it can remain suspended for up to two hours. One infected person can infect nine in 10 unprotected people around them.
Early symptoms of measles begin seven to 14 days after exposure and include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red/watery eyes. The characteristic measles rash can appear three to five days after symptoms begin, usually on the face before spreading down to the rest of the body.
A two-dose MMR vaccine is 97% effective against measles, and people of any age can get it. The measles vaccination series is typically given to children at 12 to 15 months and then at 4-6 years old.
Anyone who is concerned about being exposed to measles is asked to call their provider or local health department to seek guidance on how to proceed. Anyone who has measles should talk to their healthcare provider from home and stay away from other people until their symptoms are resolved.