For Immediate Release
2 Pages
March 31, 2025
Two More Confirmed Measles Cases in Knox County
On March 29th, 2025, a laboratory confirmed that two more cases of measles were found in international travelers in Knox County. These individuals are isolated and symptoms are being monitored throughout their isolation periods.
Knox Public Health (KPH) has been working with the individuals since contact tracing began and they have been in quarantine. No additional close contacts were identified as a result of the two positive cases.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be spread from individual to individual even before they have symptoms. Symptoms usually appear 7 to 14 days after a person comes in contact with it, but can take as long as 21 days in some cases.
Symptoms include:
- High fever (potentially up to 103-105 degrees)
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Pink/red or watery eyes
- Red/brown blotchy rash that starts in your face/head and works down your body.
Rashes and other symptoms typically subside within 7-9 days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all children get two doses of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Anyone traveling internationally should be fully vaccinated before traveling. Infants 6-11 months old should get one dose of the MMR vaccine before travel, then should receive two additional doses after their first birthday. Older children, adolescents, and adults should receive one or two doses of MMR vaccine if they do not have evidence of immunity. If you have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, your chances of getting measles are very low. After two doses, the MMR vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, about one out of every five people who get measles will be hospitalized. One out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling due to infection (encephalitis) which may lead to brain damage. 1 to 3 out of 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the best care.
Talk to your healthcare provider about vaccination if you are unvaccinated or do not know if you are vaccinated. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective with hundreds of millions of doses given. Please contact your medical provider or Knox County Community Health Center at 740-399-8008 if you have questions about measles, or the MMR vaccination, or would like to schedule a vaccination appointment.
If you have symptoms, stay home, avoid contact with others, and call your healthcare provider. Please do not show up in the waiting room without contacting the staff first in case you are contagious.
For more information and updates, visit Knox Public Health’s website at: https://www.knoxhealth.com/index.php. For more information about measles, visit https://www.cdc.gov/measles/
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