Measles outbreak confirmed in Ohio

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) confirmed a measles outbreak in Ashtabula County and one case of a visitor in Knox County who exposed others to the disease in Knox and nearby counties. ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff said the identified measles cases in Ashtabula County are 10. All are linked to a man reported last week as the state’s first measles case of 2025. None of the infected individuals are vaccinated. Dr. Vanderhoff said that health officials are not surprised by the outbreak, due to measles activity in other states like Texas and New Mexico. He reminded the public that the disease “is almost entirely avoidable by being properly vaccinated.” ODH is working with health authorities in Ashtabula and Knox to monitor potential exposures and promote vaccinations. Ohio had 90 measles cases in 2022, mainly concentrated in the central part of the state, but only 1 in 2023 and 7 in 2024. Dr. Vanderhoff held a news conference on March 18 to discuss Ohio’s childhood immunization rates and advise parents to ensure their children are properly vaccinated.
Complications from measles are common among children under five, adults older than twenty, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people. As many as one out of 20 children with measles get pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.