- Kansas has 10 confirmed cases of measles, all children who were unvaccinated or under-vaccinated.
- The southwest Kansas outbreak comes amid a nationwide outbreak that started in west Texas.
- Kansas health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated against measles, especially in affected counties.
- Measles is highly contagious, and additional cases are expected in Kansas and surrounding areas.
Kansas is now up to 10 confirmed cases of measles, all of which have been children who are either unvaccinated or under-vaxxed.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 10 cases of measles, spread across Grant, Morton and Stevens counties. The update came through the Kansas Health Alert Network.
The alert said all 10 cases are children ages birth to 17 years old. Nine weren’t vaccinated, while one child was under-vaccinated with only one of the two recommended doses of the MMR vaccine.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of measles, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area in Kansas and in surrounding counties, especially among those that are unvaccinated,” the KDHE alert said.
Local health departments in Morton and Grant counties reported three cases in each county, all linked to a case in Stevens County. The local health department in Stevens County reported it is up to four cases, and, “We do have pending cases at this time.”
Theses are the first cases of measles in Kansas since 2018.
The Kansas measles outbreak comes as several states have recorded cases following an outbreak that started in west Texas. The KDHE alert said that as of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported 378 measles cases across 17 states.
“Most of these cases are occurring in children (76%) and almost all are either unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status (95%),” the alert said. “Fifty (50) persons have been hospitalized and two (2) have died.”
One death was an unvaccinated school-aged child in Texas, and the other was an unvaccinated patient in New Mexico. No measles hospitalizations or deaths have been recorded in Kansas.
Kansas officials told The Capital-Journal last week that epidemiologists have not been able to establish a link to the outbreak affecting west Texas. The three Kansas counties with cases are all in the southwest corner of Kansas, about 375 miles from the outbreak epicenter of Gaines County in the Texas panhandle.
The CDC said earlier this month that “this outbreak continues to expand rapidly.”
Kansas public health officials recommend MMR vaccine
Public health officials recommend that two doses of the MMR vaccine for children, with the first dose administered at age 12-15 months and the second dose at age 4-6 years, before entering school. Adults are generally recommended to get one dose. Two doses are recommended for adults working in health care or attending higher education, due to the higher risk of exposure and transmission.
In a previous alert earlier this month, KDHE noted that Kansas is “below the herd immunity threshold” of at least a 95% vaccination rate. That rate, measured by estimated MMR immunization rates for Kansas kindergarten students during the 2023-24 school year, was 90.2% in 2023-24, down from 94.5% in 2019-20.
Some school districts have immunization rates substantially lower than the herd immunity threshold.
KDHE makes vaccination recommendations for southwest Kansas
In Grant, Morton and Stevens counties, as well as adjacent counties in southwest Kansas, KDHE is recommending an early dose of the MMR vaccine. Also known as an infant dose, that dose is recommended for infants ages 6-11 months.
For children in those counties who are older than 12 months and have not been vaccinated, KDHE recommends “one dose immediately and follow with a second dose at least 28 days after.” Children older than 12 months who have already gotten a first dose “should receive an early second dose.”
KDHE is also advising teenagers and adults who have previously been vaccinated with one dose should receive a second dose.
Adjacent counties include Stanton, Hamilton, Kearney, Finney, Haskell and Seward. That includes southwest Kansas population centers of Garden City and Liberal.
Kansas advises public health providers and departments
KDHE advised health care providers “to be on high alert” for patients showing symptoms consistent with measles — especially among unvaccinated patients, people who recently traveled to areas with ongoing outbreaks or people in “frequent contact with unimmunized individuals in a congregate setting,” such as attending day care.
It is recommended by KDHE that providers submit specimens of suspected measles patients to the KDHE lab for measles testing. The state lab has a turnaround time of one to two business days after receiving the samples.
People suspected of having measles should be told to stay home in isolation until receiving their test results, KDHE said. People with measles should isolate at home, except when seeking medical care, for four days after the onset of rash.
KDHE advised local health departments to share the alert, order testing and shipping supplies and report suspected cases to the state. Mandated reporters are required to report all suspected cases to KDHE.
Local health departments and the Stevens County Hospital are asking patients with measles symptoms or a suspected exposure to call before going to a clinic or emergency room so that providers can take steps to prevent further spread.
As reported in the Topeka Capital Journal
