Amid national measles outbreak, Kentucky vaccination rate sits below average

KENTUCKY (WKYT) - Just four months into the year, the United States has more than double the measles cases it saw all of last year.

While Kentucky has seen just one confirmed case of measles in 2025, several of our neighboring states are experiencing outbreaks.

Health officials in the Commonwealth say Kentuckians shouldn’t necessarily be afraid of measles, but they should protect themselves against the virus.

“Aware and prepared are the two words that I would use,” said the director of the Woodford County Health Department, Cassie Prather. “It is so easily spread to others. One of the most communicable diseases out there.”

CDC data shows that Kentucky’s MMR vaccine coverage among kindergarteners is 90%, which is below the national average. Texas has at least 500 confirmed measles cases. Their vaccination rate is 94.3%.

“We have a whole population of kids that aren’t fully vaccinated,” said Prather.

That’s because kids usually get their first vaccine around 12 months of age and the second around 5 years of age before heading off to kindergarten.

“We also have people that are choosing not to get the vaccine, which is the biggest concern because they’re not protected at all,” said Prather.

According to the CDC, most people with measles will see their symptoms improve. Still, roughly 1 in 5 unvaccinated people will become hospitalized, and up to 3 of every 1,000 children who become infected will die.

So far, the country has seen two measles deaths this year, both were unvaccinated children in Texas.

Kentucky health officials confirmed one measles case back in February - an adult in Franklin County.

While we aren’t one of the states with what the CDC considers an ‘outbreak,’ three of our neighboring states are: Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio. The Buckeye State alone has at least 20 confirmed cases.

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