TOPEKA — Kansas measles cases rose to 71 and were found in 11 counties in south-central and southwest Kansas, the state reported Wednesday.
Sixty-nine cases are associated with the outbreak in southwest Kansas, where three hospitalizations have also been reported, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment dashboard.
Counties where measles have been reported are Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton, Pawnee, Reno, Sedgwick and Stevens.
Gray has the most cases with 25 and is part of what is considered the outbreak, in which transmission is connected to other cases within an area. Sedgwick and Reno counties are outside the outbreak area, and the two cases there have been connected to international travel, the Sedgwick County Health Department website said.
County health departments continue to hold vaccine clinics. The Sedgwick County Health Department has one scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Evergreen Recreation Center, 2700 N. Woodland, Wichita.
IN DATA updated Wednesday, KDHE indicated 57 cases were in children ages birth to 17 years, with the remaining 13 in people ages 18 to 64 years. Among the 69 cases associated with the outbreak, 58 were in unvaccinated people, one person was not age-appropriately vaccinated, five people were age-appropriately vaccinated, three people had vaccination statuses that could not be verified and two were pending verification.
Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System, said in a previous story that fully vaccinated people can get the disease but typically have fewer complications and overall less severity of illness. With one dose of the vaccine, people have 93% protection from measles, and after two doses, 97% protection, he said.
Measles cases across the country have continued to rise, totaling 1,088 confirmed cases in 33 states, as of May 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Of those cases, 133 people were hospitalized and three have died.
