COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio health officials on Thursday reported the state’s first measles cases and outbreak of 2026, involving three unvaccinated children from a single household in Cuyahoga County, according to Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff.
One child’s illness began in late 2025, while the other two developed symptoms in early 2026, officials said. All three had recently traveled to an area of the United States experiencing an active measles outbreak. The Ohio Department of Health is working with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to identify potential exposures and expand access to vaccination.
“The fact that we again have measles cases in Ohio underlines the importance of being fully vaccinated,” Vanderhoff said in a statement. “This disease can be very serious, but it is also preventable.”
Measles is highly contagious and spreads through coughing and sneezing. Health officials say the MMR vaccine — which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella — is safe and highly effective, with two doses providing 97% protection. People who are up to date on vaccination face a very low risk of infection.
The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person coughs or sneezes, and individuals can transmit measles from four days before to four days after a rash appears. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, loss of appetite, and a rash that typically begins at the hairline before spreading downward across the body.
Complications are more common in young children, adults over 20, pregnant individuals, and people with weakened immune systems. About one in 20 children with measles develops pneumonia, which is the leading cause of measles‑related deaths among young children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine for children — the first between 12 and 15 months of age and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Unvaccinated adults or those unsure of their vaccination status may also receive the vaccine.
Ohio reported 45 measles cases in 2025, seven in 2024, one in 2023, and 90 in 2022, when a central Ohio outbreak accounted for 85 infections. Health officials warn that measles can be reintroduced into the state by travelers visiting areas with ongoing outbreaks, and that nine out of 10 unprotected individuals exposed to the virus will become ill.