By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
The number of confirmed measles cases in Kentucky due to the ongoing outbreak has doubled over the past two weeks and has topped the 200 mark on Thursday, according to the Kentucky Department of Public Health (KDPH).
Their daily report on Thursday indicates 201 cases. Christian County has had the most in the state with 65, with Laurel County second with 56. Two more counties reported a double-digit number of cases, Trigg 31 and Bath 15. Other counties reporting measles are Caldwell 7, Barren, Carroll and Washington with five apiece, Jessamine 4, Todd 3, Lewis and Owen, 2 each and Trimble County with one.
Eleven of the cases in Kentucky have led to hospitalization, but fortunately no deaths, unlike Pennsylvania, where public health officials have reported five, with over 1,000 cases in that state.
Breaking down the number of cases in Kentucky by age group, 23 are in children less than five years old, 84 occurred in those 5-17, and the other 94 in people who are 18 or older. 199 have been people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccine status was unknown, while one person had one dose of the MMR vaccine and one more had both doses.
Kentucky public health officials continue to ask parents to ensure their children receive the MMR vaccine. KPH says coverage among kindergartners dropped to 86.9 percent in the 2024-2025 school year but increased to 91.1 percent during the 2025-2026 school year. That remains below the national average of approximately 93 percent during both school years.
Comparatively, MMR vaccination rates for 7th and 11th grade students remained stable at greater than 95 percent in 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, highlighting the success of catch-up opportunities in middle and high school.