Measles cases reach 12th county in Kansas. See where, and the latest count
Measles cases have spread to 12 counties in Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s 2025 Kansas Measles Case Data dashboard.
Two cases previously counted in Haskell County were reassigned last week to Seward County, health officials said in a correction on the dashboard, which was updated Wednesday. Seward County has no active outbreak-associated cases at this time.
The number of new measles cases have slowed in recent weeks, climbing to 90 confirmed cases, up from 86 cases as of July 7.
All but three of the cases are associated with the outbreak concentrated in the southwestern part of Kansas. There have been eight patients hospitalized, up from seven in early July. There has been no deaths connected to the outbreak, health officials said.
Measles cases have been reported in 10 counties in that area: Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton, Pawnee, Seward and Stevens counties.
Health officials report that only Gray, Haskell, Morton, and Stevens counties have an active measles status. A county’s status is active for 42 days following a report of a measles case linked to the outbreak. The other six counties have a “resolved” status, which indicates more than 42 days have passed with no new cases reported.
Cases have also been reported in Reno and Sedgwick counties, but none of those cases are related to the outbreak.
Unvaccinated children make up vast majority of cases
Children and teens account for the vast majority of total cases, with 73 cases involving those under 18. The remaining 17 cases involve people 18 and older. Children 4 years and younger account for 38 cases, while 21 cases involve children between 5 and 10. Eight cases involve children between 11 and 13 and six between 14 and 17.
The data shows that among those affected by the southwest Kansas outbreak, only seven involved patients who had been vaccinated appropriately.
The vast majority of cases, 72, were not vaccinated or not vaccinated appropriately for their age. Four patients were unable to verify their vaccination status.
Gray County, with 29 confirmed cases, has been the hardest hit, followed by Haskell County with 19 cases and Stevens counties with 10 cases.
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the most effective way to protect children, health officials said. Pediatricians are urging families to strongly consider early vaccination to protect their young children if they are hearing about outbreaks nearby.
U.S. cases reach level not seen in 33 years
As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed measles cases surged to 1,319, the highest number in 33 years, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The last time the U.S. saw more measles cases was in 1992, with 2,126 cases, eight years before the disease was declared eliminated in the country.
Measles has been reported in 39 states — Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
There have been 165 hospitalizations, or 13% of all cases, and three confirmed deaths from measles. There have been 29 outbreaks this year, with 87%, or 1,154 of 1,319, of confirmed cases being outbreak-associated. In 2024, there were 16 outbreaks, with 69%, or 198 of 285, of all cases being associated with an outbreak.
About 29% of cases involve children under the age of 5, 37% involve patients aged 5 to 19, 34% include adults 20 and older, and 1% involved patients whose age was unknown, according to the CDC.
Approximately 92% of cases involve unvaccinated patients or those with unknown vaccination status. Another 4% involve patients who had received only one dose of the MMR vaccine. About 4% patients involved were fully vaccinated.
