Health officials announce measles case in Fayette County

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Health officials have announced a fifth measles case from a recent outbreak in Kentucky.

According to a release Monday by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, a measles outbreak that began in Woodford County has spread to Fayette County.

Health officials say they are working to identify who may have been exposed.

Currently, the release confirms there are five total measles cases in the Commonwealth, four of which are connected to the same outbreak. A case in Todd County appears to be unrelated to the other current cases, officials say.

Updated information about measles cases in Kentucky can be found here.

Officials say the cases are taking place during a global outbreak of measles, including in Mexico and Canada. The release says this is the largest outbreak of measles in the United States since the illness was declared eliminated in 2000.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 1,200 cases this year in 2025, officials say, including several large outbreaks in other states.

“When there are measles outbreaks in other states and nearby countries, it is not surprising to see spread to Kentucky,” said Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services secretary Dr. Steven Stack. “Measles can be very serious, but it is avoidable through vaccination. We urge all parents to have their children vaccinated to ensure they are protected from preventable diseases like measles.”

The release says measles is highly contagious and can cause serious health complications, particularly in young children.

How measles is spread 

According to health officials, measles is spread through the air and can remain there for up to two hours.

Symptoms

Health officials say symptoms in the early states begin eight to 12 days after exposure and include a high fever, cough, runny nose and red or water eyes.

The measles rash normally appears three to five days after symptoms begin, normally on the face before it spreads to the rest of the body.

How to prevent measles

The release says the first dose of the measles vaccine is routinely given in combination with the mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR vaccine, to children ages 12 months through 15 months.

Health officials say a second dose is given at ages 4 through 6 years old.

According to the release, the CDC says two doses of this vaccine are 97% effective against measles. Recently, officials say the CDC issued a travel advisory for all of those traveling outside of the U.S. to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine if they have never had measles.

In addition, officials say the immunization rates among Kentucky’s kindergartener’s have declined.

Results from the most recent school immunizations survey for the 2024-2025 school year indicate that only 86.9% of Kentucky kindergarteners are fully vaccinated against measles, which is lower than the national average of 93%. Two doses of MMR vaccine are required for school attendance in Kentucky.

Kentucky’s first confirmed measles case of 2025 occurred in an adult resident in February. The second case occurred in March in a child who was traveling through the Commonwealth when they sought treatment.

For more information about measles visit the Kentucky Department for Public Health measles website or the CDC measles website.