A confirmed case of measles has been reported in Lewis County as Kentucky continues to experience an ongoing outbreak of the highly contagious disease.
The Lewis County case appeared Tuesday on the Kentucky Department for Public Health Measles Dashboard, which provides updated county-level case information. It is the first publicly reported measles case in Lewis County during the current outbreak.
As of Tuesday morning, Kentucky had recorded 48 confirmed measles cases, including five people who have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported in Kentucky. The statewide total had been 46 on Monday.
Ten of the confirmed cases involve children younger than five, 20 involve children and teenagers between five and 17, and 18 involve adults. Of the 48 people infected, 47 were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, while one had received a single dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
No additional information about the Lewis County patient was publicly released by Tuesday evening, including the person’s age, vaccination status, whether hospitalization was required, how the infection may have occurred, or whether any public exposure locations have been identified in Lewis County.
The Lewis County case follows potential measles exposures reported elsewhere in northeastern Kentucky in recent weeks, although health officials have not publicly linked those exposures to the Lewis County case.
In late August, the Kentucky Department for Public Health warned of a potential measles exposure in neighboring Carter County after an unvaccinated, out-of-state traveler infected with measles stopped at a Marathon gas station on West Tom Hall Boulevard in Olive Hill on August 24. The traveler also visited locations in Richmond while infectious.
More recently, health officials identified potential measles exposures at UK St. Claire Regional Medical Center and UK St. Claire Urgent Care-Hampton Way in Morehead between August 25 and August 31.
No information released by health officials as of Tuesday evening indicates that either the Olive Hill or Morehead exposures is connected to the newly reported Lewis County case.
Kentucky health officials confirmed an ongoing measles outbreak in August and say additional cases and exposures continue to be investigated. The state’s measles dashboard is updated Monday through Friday, except on state holidays.
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or breathes. The virus can remain infectious in an airspace for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area. An infected person can also spread the virus before symptoms develop and up to four days before the characteristic rash appears.
Symptoms generally include a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that usually begins on the face and spreads down the body. Tiny white spots inside the mouth, known as Koplik spots, may appear two to three days after symptoms begin.
Measles can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, and can result in death. Infants and children younger than five, adults older than 20, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are among those at greater risk of serious illness and complications.
Health officials say vaccination is the most effective protection against measles. Two doses of measles vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing the disease following exposure, while one dose is about 93 percent effective.
The first dose of the MMR vaccine is routinely given to children between 12 and 15 months of age, with a second dose between four and six years of age.
Kentucky health officials are urging anyone who may have been exposed to measles to check their immunization records and make sure they are protected. Kentucky residents can access their records through the Kentucky Immunization Registry Public Portal.
Anyone who believes they have been exposed should contact a health-care provider or local health department. Those experiencing possible measles symptoms are advised to call their health-care provider before going to a doctor’s office or emergency room so they can take precautions to prevent exposing others.
The Herald will update the story as additional information about the Lewis County case becomes available.
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