Kansas has joined nearly 20 other U.S. states in reporting rising measles cases.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported 10 cases of measles throughout Grant, Morton and Stevens counties as of March 21.
All 10 cases were identified in children aged 0 to 17.
Nine of these kids were unvaccinated.
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One individual was confirmed as under-vaccinated, having only received one of the two MMR vaccine doses.
No hospitalizations or deaths have been reported in the state.
KDHE noted that additional cases are “likely to occur” in the outbreak area and surrounding counties due to measles being “highly contagious,” especially for those who are unvaccinated.
Measles infections have continued to spread across the U.S., as the CDC marked 378 total cases in 2025 on March 21.
Numbers are still climbing in West Texas, where the largest outbreak currently has 327 confirmed cases as of March 25.
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Most cases nationwide have occurred in school-aged children who are unvaccinated.
KDHE advised healthcare providers to look out for patients with “febrile rash illness” and other symptoms of measles, including fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes and a rash on the face and body.
Healthcare professionals should also be on “high alert” for patients who’ve recently traveled internationally, or to U.S. locations where outbreaks have occurred, have frequent contact with unvaccinated individuals, or are unvaccinated themselves.
KDHE instructed suspected and infected patients to isolate themselves at home for four days following the start of a measles rash.
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“Persons that are susceptible to measles and exposed should be excluded from working in an adult care home, correctional facility, or health care facility and attending or working in a school, childcare facility, or adult day care for 21 days following the last exposure,” the health department noted.
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To prevent measles, KDHE recommends two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for adults and children, especially for residents of affected counties.
In a recent on-camera interview with Fox News Digital in New York City, Dr. John Whyte, WebMD chief medical officer and practicing physician, emphasized that measles is “one of the most contagious respiratory viruses.”
“Measles is much more contagious than COVID,” he said. “It’s a factor of several times more contagious.”
One infected person can impact about 10 to 15 other people, according to Whyte.
There are multiple ways to protect yourself from infection, the doctor noted, including being aware of your surroundings and wearing a mask in areas in which cases have been detected.
Whyte also recommended “good handwashing” after touching surfaces, as well as keeping surfaces clean, since virus droplets can stick and spread when contact is made.
Fox News Digital reached out to KDHE for comment.
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