COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has identified the state’s first case of measles in 2024.
The department said the infected child is from Montgomery County, and ODH is working with Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to the disease.
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According to Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County, the case was first reported on Jan. 29 in a patient at Dayton’s Children’s Hospital’s emergency room. The department said people in that area on Jan. 29 and on Jan. 31 may have been exposed.
One case of measles was reported in the state in 2023. However, in 2022, 90 cases were reported, with the outbreak centered in central Ohio with 85 of those reported cases. Those were the first cases of the disease in Ohio since 2019.
ODH said measles is extremely contagious and can spread through coughing or sneezing. The department said 90% of people who come into contact with a measles patient, if those people aren’t immunized, will become infected.