BY: CLARA BATES
Missouri Independent
Missouri’s first confirmed measles case of the year involves a child in Taney County, the health department announced Friday afternoon.
The child’s vaccination status “has not yet been verified,” according to the press release.
The child, who is not a Missouri resident, was visiting Taney County and was diagnosed “soon after arrival,” Lisa Cox, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a press release.
Taney County is in southwest Missouri, and its largest city is Branson.
“Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted,” Cox said, adding that the state is supporting Taney County’s health department to investigate possible exposure.
The case is “associated with recent international travel,” Cox said.
Measles is a highly-contagious virus the country declared eliminated 25 years ago, but that has resurged with falling vaccination rates.
“For those unvaccinated or those unsure of their vaccination status, now is the time to review records and get caught up if needed,” Dr. George Turabelidze, state epidemiologist with DHSS, said in the press release.
The percent of Missouri kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella has declined over the last several years, from 95% in the 2019-2020 school year to 91% in the 2023-2024 school year, in public schools, per DHHS data. In private schools, the drop has been even larger, from 92% to 85% in the same period.
Nationally, there are at least 800 reported cases of measles across 25 states, according to Center for Disease Control data as of Friday. That doesn’t include Missouri’s case, Cox said, because the state received lab test results Thursday night, after the federal reporting deadline for this week.
That is the highest number for a single year since 2019 and is still growing.
The majority of measles infections nationally have been reported in a West Texas outbreak. There have been two confirmed deaths, both in Texas.
Kansas has reported 37 cases, possibly linked to the Texas outbreak.
There are outbreaks in Canada and Mexico, too, and several states have reported isolated cases as the result of international travel.
At the same time, the federal government has cut grant funding set aside for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to encourage vaccinations, according to St. Louis Public Radio.