(August 30, 2025)
Measles Outbreak in Muskingum County, Three Total Confirmed Cases

On August 29, 2025, three laboratory confirmed cases of measles were identified in three children in Muskingum County, all unvaccinated. All three children are from the same family, and they are all currently home and improving. The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department has been working with the family and hospital to identify and follow-up with any exposures and contacts, and help where needed.

Measles is a highly contagious virus. Individuals infected with measles can spread it to others who do not have immunity from prior disease or vaccination, even before they have symptoms. The measles virus can live for up to two hours in the air after an infected person leaves the room. Symptoms usually appear 7 to 14 days after a person comes in contact with the virus, but it can take as long as 21 days for symptoms to appear.

Measles symptoms include: high fever (may spike from 103° F to 105° F), cough, runny nose, pink/red, watery eyes, and a red/brown blotchy rash. The rash will appear on the face and then spread to the trunk and extremities. Rash and other symptoms usually subside in 7 to 9 days. According to the Ohio Department of Health, about one out of every five people who get measles will be hospitalized. Approximately one out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling due to infection (encephalitis) which may lead to brain damage. Nearly 1 to 3 out of 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the best care.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all children get two doses of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Anyone traveling internationally should be fully vaccinated before traveling. Infants 6-11 months old should get one dose of the MMR vaccine before travel, then should receive two additional doses after their first birthday. Older children, adolescents, and adults should receive one or two doses of MMR vaccine if they do not have evidence of immunity. If you have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, your chances of getting measles are very low. After two doses, the vaccine is approximately 97% effective at preventing measles.

Talk to your healthcare provider about vaccination if you are unvaccinated or do not know if you are vaccinated. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective with hundreds of millions of doses given. Please contact your medical provider or the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department at 740-454-9741 if you have questions about measles, or the MMR vaccination, or would like to schedule a vaccination appointment.

If you have symptoms, stay home, avoid contact with others, and call your healthcare provider. Please do not show up in the waiting room without contacting the staff first in case you suspect you have measles.

For more information and updates, visit the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ZMCHD. For more information about measles, visit https://www.cdc.gov/measles/