TOPEKA — State health officials have declared the measles outbreak over in southwest Kansas, where dozens of cases affected mostly unvaccinated children.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced Thursday that no new cases have been reported or confirmed in the past 42 days after cases peaked at 87. Health officials announced in March the first case of measles in Kansas since 2008.

“The end of the recent outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over,” officials said in a Thursday press release. “Since there are many ongoing outbreaks of measles in North America and around the world, it is possible that there will be additional cases of measles introduced into Kansas this year.”

Eight people were hospitalized as a result of the outbreak. Children made up more than 80% of cases, and more than 90% of cases involved people who were not vaccinated against measles. Officials urged Kansans to ensure their families’ vaccinations are up to date, especially as the school year begins.

The outbreak most affected Gray, Haskell and Stevens counties. Gray County residents had the highest number of cases with 29 infections. Vaccination rates among kindergarteners have been decreasing overall in each of those counties, with marked decreases in measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccinations.

In Gray County, MMR vaccination rates decreased by 10 percentage points between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, according to data from KDHE. In Haskell, there was a 14 percentage point decrease, and in Stevens County, a 15 percentage point decrease. The MMR vaccine is the most effective defense against measles, health officials said.

KDHE officials said state and local health departments will continue to monitor for cases. Janet Stanek, KDHE secretary, said she was grateful to the public health, health care and laboratory professionals who played a part in dealing with the measles outbreak.

“Your compassion, skill and unwavering commitment to keeping our communities safe did not go unnoticed and are appreciated beyond measure,” she said.

Measles is a contagious respiratory virus spread by droplets emitted while a person talks, sneezes or coughs. Symptoms can include high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. As the virus develops, a skin rash that spreads across the body often appears.