Kansas reports 9 new measles cases ahead of summer. Vaccines urged
Kansas saw another bump in measles cases over the past week during an outbreak that has, so far this year, not yet spread to the Kansas City metro.
The state saw nine new cases, bringing the total number from 37 to 46, according to a Kansas Department of Health and Environment dashboard tracking cases.
The dashboard was updated Wednesday, showing that as of April 30, the outbreak still most affects eight southwestern Kansas counties: Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton and Stevens.
Of the state’s 46 cases, 39 were reported in individuals who were not vaccinated, the dashboard shows.
According to the dashboard, Gray County has the most cases, at 15. That is an increase of nine in the county from the last KDHE update.
Kansas City braces for first measles case
In mid-April, Kansas City health officials warned elected officials that measles could soon make its way to the region. Parents are urged to vaccinate children against the disease.
According to KDHE data, 52% of cases, 24, are reported in individuals age 5-17 years old. Another 30% of cases, 14, were found in children 0-4 years of age.
A total of eight cases were found in those 18-years-old or older, KDHE data shows.
Health experts say upcoming summer travel months will give the highly contagious respiratory virus opportunities to spread from the southwestern corner of Kansas to areas with larger populations.
The first case of measles in Missouri this year was found about 4 hours south of Kansas City, according to the state Department of Health. That case was in a child and was associated with international travel, the health department said last month.
Kansas City has not had a case of measles since 2019, according to local health officials. Officials also said the metro falls short of having herd immunity from the disease, and that some zip codes are more at risk than others to contract the disease.
Measles reported in 29 states
Nearly 900 measles cases have been confirmed as of April 25, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The cases have been reported in 29 states and New York City: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
There have been 94 hospitalizations, or 11% of all cases reported. There are three confirmed deaths from measles this year.
According to the most recent data available, about 30% of cases involve children under 5 years, 38% involve children and teens between 5 and 19, and 30% involve adults.
In 2024, there were 285 total cases nationwide with no deaths reported by the CDC.
Previous reporting by The Star’s Jonathan Shorman, PJ Green and Matthew Kelly contributed.
