Measles cases growing rapidly in Ohio, US

SANDUSKY — The current measles outbreak now covers much of the U.S., including at least 30 cases in Ohio and more than 800 cases nationwide. Statistics posted Thursday at Ohio's state health department website show 30 measles cases in Ohio, with 14 cases in Ashtabula County, 14 cases in Knox County, and one case apiece in Allen and Holmes counties. As of Feb. 6, Ohio had one case. The "Your Local Epidemiologist" Substack newsletter, which has more recent information, listed 35 cases in Ohio as of Sunday but did not offer a county-by-county breakdown. The newsletter's author, Katelyn Jetelina, reported that the U.S. now has 839 measles cases and seven active outbreaks. The Texas-New Mexico-Oklahoma-New Mexico outbreak now has 709 cases, including 597 in Texas, 63 in New Mexico, 37 in Kansas and 12 in Oklahoma. Other states besides Ohio with outbreaks are Michigan (seven cases), Indiana (six cases), Montana (five cases). There are 15 other states that have reported cases, including four in New York. Jetelina wrote that measles cases are "climbing exponentially." And she also wrote there's no sign yet that the main outbreak is slowing down. "The outbreak in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas is growing rapidly. My concern about spreading in urban areas is coming to fruition. The El Paso outbreak is spreading fast. Within 11 days we rose from 2 cases to 11, signaling exponential growth. In Lubbock, cases are also on the rise," she wrote. Three deaths have been reported so far. The measles outbreak is also taking place in Canada (1,045 cases, mostly in Ontario) and in Mexico (451 cases). Experts are recommending measles vaccinations and say it's particularly important for children to be up to date. A new special report issued by the Yale School of Public Health states that the vast majority of measles cases have been people who are unvaccinated. For example, vaccinations were reported for only 22 of 597 cases in Texas. "Because measles is highly contagious, 95% of the population must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity and prevent ongoing transmission of the virus," the Yale report says. In Texas, the epicenter of the outbreak, "vaccination rates are low in most affected areas," it says. The Trump administration installed a well-known anti-vaccination activist, Robert Kennedy Jr., as its top health official. Ohio's two U.S. senators, Republicans Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno, both voted to confirm Kennedy as secretary of Health and Human Services.