photo by: Mary Conlon/AP

Vials for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed at a clinic in Lubbock, Texas, on Feb. 26, 2025.

With measles cases in Kansas approaching three dozen, the Lawrence-Douglas County health department is urging people to get vaccinated.

As of Wednesday, there were 32 known cases of measles in the state, all of them in southwest Kansas. No cases have been reported in Douglas County. Nationally, measles cases have topped 700, The Associated Press has reported, including the deaths of two children and an adult, all of whom were unvaccinated.

“Data overwhelmingly shows that vaccination is our best preventative measure against measles,” a release Friday from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health said.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that is airborne and lasts on surfaces and in the air for up to two hours. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that begins at the hairline and spreads downward to the torso.

“If you are concerned you may have measles or have been in contact with the virus, stop what you’re doing and call Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health at 785-843-0721 or your primary care provider,” the release urged.

The measles vaccine lasts for a lifetime and does not involve annual shots like the flu vaccine.

Infants, children under 5 and pregnant women are at higher risk of severe disease from measles.

Since measles is so contagious, 95% of a population needs to be vaccinated to have herd immunity, which happens when enough people are immune to a disease, making it harder for it to spread and helping protect those who aren’t immune. Douglas County is currently not at herd immunity levels, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s MMR vaccine coverage data.

There are parts of the county that have as low as 80% immunity, the release said, meaning 1 in 5 kindergartners in Douglas County are unprotected against the measles virus.

If you want to get vaccinated or don’t know if you are vaccinated, call Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health at 785-843-0721 or contact your primary care provider.

The majority of U.S. cases are in Texas, which had 541 cases as of Friday. Other states with active outbreaks — defined as three or more cases — include New Mexico, Indiana, Ohio and Oklahoma.

Kansas has 32 cases in eight counties in the southwest part of the state, health officials announced Wednesday. Two of the counties, Finney and Ford, are new on the list and are major population centers in that part of the state. Haskell County has the most with eight cases, Stevens County has seven, Kiowa County has six, and the rest have five or fewer.

The state’s first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March 13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health officials have not determined how the person was exposed.

Do you need an MMR booster?

The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.

People at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak, said Scott Weaver with the Global Virus Network, an international coalition. Those may include family members living with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions.

Adults with “presumptive evidence of immunity” generally don’t need measles shots now, the CDC said. Criteria include written documentation of adequate vaccination earlier in life, lab confirmation of past infection or being born before 1957, when most people were likely to be infected naturally.

A doctor can order a lab test called an MMR titer to check your levels of measles antibodies, but health experts don’t always recommend this route and insurance coverage can vary.

Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says.

People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. That also includes people who don’t know which type they got.