Ohio reports first measles case of 2025

SANDUSKY — As measles cases increase nationally, Ohio has now reported its first case of the disease. The state health department on Thursday reported an infected adult in Ashtabula County and said the man is unvaccinated and had contact with someone who traveled abroad. Health officials said Ohio had 90 cases of measles in 2022, including an outbreak in central Ohio that resulted in 85 cases. Ohio had one case in 2023 and seven in 2024. "The fact that we now have a measles case in Ohio adds emphasis to the importance of being fully vaccinated," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the state health department. "This disease can be very serious, but it is preventable. I strongly encourage you to protect yourselves and your children by getting vaccinated." Local health officials also recently warned that vaccination numbers are too low to prevent an outbreak in the Sandusky area. "Due to the contagious nature of measles, it is estimated that 95% of the population will need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population has become immune to an infection through either vaccinations or having the infection itself," said Taylor Kula, who runs epidemiology efforts for the Erie County Health Department. "Currently in Erie County, as of July 2024, 79.6% of children aged 6 years and older had received 2 doses of MMR vaccine," she wrote in an email to the Register. Measles cases have been reported across the U.S. and there are outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. "As of March 13, 2025, a total of 301 confirmed measles cases were reported by 15 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington," a CDC website said Thursday. As of Tuesday, Texas reported 279 cases, with 36 people hospitalized and one death. The death was a child who was unvaccinated, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.