Local public health experts are urging parents to get their children vaccinated to help protect them from the virus.
“We know that when there’s measles anywhere, that’s a threat to everyone everywhere because measles is so very contagious,” said Dr. Becky Thomas, medical director for Public Health - Dayton and Montgomery County.
As of March 27, a total of 483 measles cases were reported by 20 jurisdictions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, including Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington
“This disease can be very serious, even deadly, but it is almost entirely avoidable by being properly vaccinated,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health.
Ohio had 90 cases of measles in 2022 after an outbreak in central Ohio totaled 85 cases. The state had one measles case in 2023 and seven in 2024.
“Measles is especially dangerous for young children, so I strongly urge all parents across Ohio to make sure your children are vaccinated. It is a crucial layer of protection that can save lives,” Vanderhoff said.
If people are not protected against the disease, nine out of 10 unvaccinated people who are exposed will become ill.
A vaccination rate of least 94% is needed to reach herd immunity in order to help prevent the spread of measles to unvaccinated individuals, according to the Mayo Clinic. Fewer vaccinations means less protection against the highly contagious virus.
The measles vaccine ― called MMR as it protects against measles, mumps and rubella ― is safe and effective at preventing measles, ODH said. Two doses of MMR is 97% effective against measles. If you are up to date on measles vaccine, the risk of getting sick is very low.
The Dayton Daily News every year obtains vaccination data for Ohio schools to help the public understand the status of efforts to protect children from contagious diseases through vaccinations.
Parents can file medical or moral exemptions to the Ohio law requiring all children entering kindergarten to have vaccines including MMR. At several area elementary schools, more than one-fifth of kindergarteners’ parents filed moral exemptions to having their children vaccinated.
Search the data below to see vaccination rates, including MMR, and exemptions rates for elementary schools statewide. Note data is not available for schools with 10 or fewer kindergarten students.
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