Ohio has new measles outbreak

SANDUSKY — Ohio's third measles outbreak of 2026 has just begun, the state health department announced late Thursday afternoon. There are four cases, three in Ashtabula County and one in Tuscarawas County. All four are unvaccinated, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the state health department. The age range for the four are 4 years old to 30 years old. Ohio now has 15 measles cases so far in 2026. Ohio had 45 cases in 2025, seven cases in 2024 and one case in 2023. The state's two previous outbreaks this year were in Cuyahoga County in January and Franklin County in February. "It's unfortunate that these outbreaks have become more common in Ohio over the past few years, because this disease is preventable," Vanderhoff said. "This serves to emphasize the importance of being fully vaccinated. I strongly encourage you to protect yourselves and your children by getting vaccinated." Erie County has had no measles cases so far in 2026, said Taylor Kula, epidemiology director for the Erie County Health Department. Measles is very contagious and can spread through coughing and sneezing. Two doses of the MMR vaccine — which protects against measles, mumps and rubella — are 97% effective in preventing infection by measles. The CDC reported that as of July 23, 2,318 cases of measles had been confirmed so far in 2026. That's already more than the 2,289 confirmed cases in 2025. There were three measles deaths in the U.S. last year. The CDC indicated the measles vaccination rate for Ohio is 90%, putting the state behind all of its neighbors except for Kentucky. Information for West Virginia is not available. Michigan has a vaccination rate above 90% but below 95%, the CDC reported. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but vaccination rates for kindergarten students have dropped, the CDC reported. The Trump administration installed a prominent anti-vaxxer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as the nation's top health official.