Measles outbreak in Kansas: 37 cases reported in past month
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- The measles outbreak continues in Kansas with five new cases reported in the past week. A total of 37 cases have been reported in the past month. The first case the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported was on March 13.
The KDHE shows that the cases have remained in the same eight counties as last week's update.
Haskell County has the most cases - eight. Stevens has seven and Kiowa has six. Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, and Morton counties have one to five cases.
| Age Group | Last week's cases | This week's cases |
| 0-4 | 10 | 11 |
| 5-17 | 16 | 19 |
| 18 or older | 6 | 7 |
The KDHE says 30 of the 37 have never been vaccinated against measles.
| Vaccination classification | Cases |
| Age appropriately vaccinated | 4 |
| Not age appropriately vaccinated | 1 |
| Not vaccinated | 30 |
| Pending verification | 0 |
| Unable to verify | 2 |
The outbreak will be declared over after 42 days, two incubation periods, with no new cases.
Symptoms
Measles can cause serious health complications, especially in children younger than 5. So far, no Kansas cases have required hospitalization.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, measles is highly contagious. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours.
The KDHE says the first symptoms happen seven to 14 days after exposure. Measles typically begins with a high fever, possibly spiking to more than 104, a cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
Tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth two to three days after the symptoms begin.
The measles rash appears three to five days after symptoms begin. Flat red spots appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
Vaccinations
If you do not know if you are vaccinated against measles, there are a few ways to find out:
- Search the Kansas WebIZ Public Portal at myvaccinerecord.ks.gov,
- Call the Kansas Immunization Program at 877-296-0464 (option 1) during regular business hours,
- Email KDHE Immunization Registry,
- Contact a health care provider to determine if they have received the vaccine, or
- Discuss whether it is appropriate to have a titer blood test done to assess your immunity level.
The KDHE says unvaccinated or under-vaccinated people should consult a health care provider about receiving the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine.
Visit the KDHE website for more information about measles symptoms and prevention and frequently asked questions.