KANSAS CITY - Kansas health officials have confirmed another case of measles in the state.
The latest confirmation came from the Finney County Health Department and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
The adult resident over the age of 50 had recently traveled out of state, though officials have not yet determined if the case is connected to any known measles outbreaks in the U.S.
This brings the number of confirmed cases up to 25, with 22 of them in children. The majority of cases have been in southwest Kansas and among those who are not vaccinated.
Prior to this year, there hadn't been a confirmed measles case in Kansas since 2018.
Elsewhere in the U.S., a third unvaccinated person has died from measles-related causes. The child was school-aged and lived in West Texas, which has nearly 500 cases.
The U.S. has more than doubled the total number of measles cases in 2024. Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Kansas and Oklahoma all have active measles outbreaks.
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.
Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington.