Thousands of schools at risk of possible measles outbreak across country

OHIO — The CDC is warning about the rise in measles infections in the United States.

There have been 23 reported cases just since December, including one here in Montgomery County. It’s the county’s first case in 20 years.

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News Center 7′s Nick Foley reports that vaccinations are down, and health experts are worried.

A county in Washington State made national news in 2019 with a measles outbreak that lasted for months.

It started with one, then came another. In total, there were 71 measles cases before it was over.

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During that outbreak, Jessica Fichtel’s son battled childhood leukemia at just six years old.

“I distinctly remember being terrified,” she said. “His life would be in grave danger if he would have been exposed to measles and contracted it.”

News Center 7 found nationwide that the percentage of unvaccinated kindergartners grew significantly in the last three years.

In the 19 states that were analyzed, including Ohio, the vaccination rates are so slow that at least 8,500 schools are now at risk of measles outbreak. That’s at least 800,000 students at risk.

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The reason why the vaccination rates are down is complicated.

Six different medical experts say that the reasons range from political influences to fear of vaccines, mistrust of government, and misinformation.

“It’s that we now have a misinformation superhighway, which is social media and frankly, an entirely unregulated and unfettered access to this information,” said Dr. Ashwin Vasan, New York City Public Health Commissioner.

“Why wouldn’t you do it for the five-year-old kid?” asked Fichtel. “If he (her son) were to get measles, he’s going to die.

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Right now, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and CDC are working to identify people in Montgomery County who may have been exposed to measles.

News Center 7 reported back in January that doctors warned of a possible measles exposure at CVG Airport in the Cincinnati/Kentucky area on the last weekend in January.

This is connected to the case in Montgomery County.

ODH said it is possible people were exposed to measles while on specific flights.

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