A second case of measles has now been confirmed in Lewis County, just one day after the county’s first case was publicly reported.
Updated figures on the Kentucky Department for Public Health Measles Dashboard Wednesday show two confirmed cases in Lewis County as Kentucky continues to experience an ongoing outbreak of the highly contagious disease.
The Herald reported Tuesday that Lewis County had recorded its first confirmed case during the current outbreak. The state dashboard now shows that number has doubled.
No additional information has been publicly released concerning either Lewis County patient, including their ages, vaccination status, whether either required hospitalization, how they may have contracted measles, or whether any public exposure locations have been identified in Lewis County.
KDPH says it has identified multiple cases among residents of several Kentucky counties, and it is still investigating additional cases and exposures. The state’s county-level dashboard is updated Monday through Friday, except on state holidays.
The Lewis County cases follow several potential measles exposures elsewhere in northeastern Kentucky.
An unvaccinated, out-of-state traveler infected with measles stopped at a Marathon gas station in Olive Hill on August 24 while infectious. Officials later identified potential exposures at UK St. Claire Regional Medical Center and UK St. Claire Urgent Care-Hampton Way in Morehead between August 25 and August 31.
Health officials have not publicly connected either the Olive Hill or Morehead exposures to the two Lewis County cases.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases and 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.
Symptoms generally include high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, followed by a rash that usually begins on the face and spreads downward.
Health officials say two doses of measles vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing the disease following exposure, while one dose is about 93 percent effective.
Anyone who believes they have been exposed should contact a health-care provider or local health department. Anyone experiencing possible measles symptoms should call a health-care provider before going to a doctor’s office or emergency room so they can take precautions to avoid exposing others.
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