Kentucky Measles Cases Reach 201, With 199 Patients Unvaccinated or of Unknown Vaccination Status
Data released on October 29 by the Kentucky Department for Public Health, the state health agency based in Frankfort, the state capital in Franklin County, show that Kentucky has recorded 201 confirmed measles cases in 2026, the state's largest measles outbreak since 1991. Of those, 197 cases and 11 hospitalizations have been reported since July, including 96 cases in September and 51 in October, with four additional cases reported in Jessamine County in January bringing the yearly total to 201. No deaths have been reported.
Christian County has reported the most cases with 65, followed by Laurel County with 56, Trigg County with 31 and Bath County with 15. State health officials say the cases have largely turned up in close-knit communities with low vaccination rates.
Of the 201 people infected, 199 were unvaccinated or had no known vaccination record; one had received one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and one had received both doses. The Department for Public Health notes that measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes, and that two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective against the disease, while one dose is about 93 percent effective.
At his weekly Team Kentucky briefing on October 29, Governor Andy Beshear urged residents to vaccinate their children. He said Kentucky has had more measles cases this year than in the previous 32 years combined, calling the situation one he had never seen in his lifetime. Beshear said the MMR vaccine is "safe and it works," and that it had virtually eliminated measles in the United States.
Kentucky's kindergarten MMR coverage stood at about 91 percent in the 2025-26 school year, below the national average of about 93 percent, according to state data. The Department for Public Health updates its county-by-county case counts every weekday, and residents who are unsure of their vaccination status are encouraged to contact their health care provider or local health department.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 儿童接种疫苗（资料图）。CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A child receiving a vaccination (file photo). CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
