CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A measles outbreak has been confirmed in northeast Ohio in Ashtabula County, according to the Ohio Department of Health, which also said someone traveling to Ohio exposed others to measles in Knox County and that surrounding region.
This comes a week after an adult in Ashtabula County was confirmed to have measles. Now there’s a total of 10 people in that county with the measles, ODH said. All of them are unvaccinated.
As the highly contagious virus surges, Ross County residents are left wondering: do they need a measles booster to shield themselves from this escalating threat?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stands firm on its guidance: kids need two doses of the MMR vaccine—one at 12 to 15 months, the other at 4 to 6 years before school starts. For those vaccinated in the 1960s, the rules shift with the vintage of the shot. If you got the live measles vaccine back then, you’re in the clear—no revaccination required. But if you received the inactivated (killed) version or an unknown type before 1968, health officials say it’s time to roll up your sleeve again.
Texas: The Measles Inferno
The outbreak’s ground zero is West Texas, where cases have skyrocketed to 327 as of March 25, 2025, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. This marks the state’s worst measles crisis in 30 years, dwarfing the 285 cases reported nationwide in all of 2024. Gaines County, with its kindergarten MMR vaccination rate languishing at 82%—well below the 95% needed for herd immunity—leads the charge with 191 cases. Across 15 Texas counties, 40 people have been hospitalized, and a school-aged child’s death in February—the first U.S. measles fatality in a decade—has jolted the nation. Of the 327 cases, 325 were unvaccinated or had unknown status; only two had both MMR doses, underscoring the vaccine’s 97% efficacy.
Ohio’s Wake-Up Call
Ohio’s first case, an unvaccinated adult in Ashtabula County exposed by an international traveler, hit on March 20, 2025. By March 26, the Ohio Department of Health confirmed an outbreak: 10 cases in Ashtabula, nine tied to that initial patient, plus one in Knox County. None were vaccinated. Statewide, kindergarten MMR rates have slipped to 88.3% this school year, down from 89.2% last year, leaving gaps for the virus to exploit.
The National Surge
The CDC reports 378 cases across 18 states in 2025, outpacing last year’s total in just three months. Texas accounts for 86% of them, but New Mexico (43 cases, including one death), Oklahoma (4), and others like Maryland and New Jersey are sounding alarms. Nationwide, 95% of cases strike the unvaccinated or those with unknown status, with 17% hospitalized and two deaths confirmed.
Ross County’s Defense
In Chillicothe, the Ross County Health District is ready to fight back, offering MMR vaccines at its Public Health Nursing Clinic. Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the clinic urges residents to call (740) 775-1146 for appointments or details.