By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
The Kentucky Department for Public Health is warning of potential measles exposures in Grant County.
According to a DPH Facebook post, an unvaccinated, out-of-state traveler who tested positive for measles visited the Ark Encounter in Williamstown on Dec. 29 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and stayed at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Dry Ridge from Dec. 28 to 30.
Health officials encourage anyone who visited these locations during these times to check their vaccination status; to consider staying home if you are not immune to prevent the spread of measles; to avoid large gatherings and places where at-risk people could be, such as hospitals and nursing homes; to monitor yourself for symptoms for 21 days after exposure; and to call your health care provider with any questions.
Anyone who attended Ark Encounter on Dec. 29 should monitor for measles symptoms through Jan. 19. Anyone who stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Dry Ridge on Dec. 28 and 29 should monitor for measles symptoms through Jan. 20.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause serious health complications, especially in young children. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can survive for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, congestion, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Several days after the start of symptoms, a rash occurs. It usually starts on the head and spreads down the body.
Vaccines are key to prevention
Kentucky’s public health officials remind Kentuckians regularly that vaccination is the best protection against measles. Immunization against measles comes through the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
In a deep dive into why vaccination rates are plunging, The Washington Post reports that more than 70% of kindergarten classrooms in the U.S. lack herd immunity, which is needed to achieve overall protection for the class. Health officials consider herd immunity for measles is reached when 95% or more of kindergartners are vaccinated against the disease. The Post also provides an interactive map that shows kindergarten MMR vaccination rates for either 2023 or 2024 for each county in the U.S.
According to DPH’s School Immunization Survey, 86.9% of Kentucky’s kindergartners were vaccinated against the measles during the 2024-25 school year.
Kentucky had 13 confirmed measles cases in 2025, according to the state measles webpage. Six of them were in Fayette County, three in Woodford County, two in Jefferson County, and one each in Franklin and Todd counties. Ten of them occurred in children between the ages of five and 17, while the other three cases were in adults.
Nationwide, 2,065 confirmed measles cases were reported in 2025.
