LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- City officials are warning residents who may have visited the Little Clinic inside a Louisville Kroger earlier this month may have been exposed to measles.
Tuesday, Mayor Craig Greenberg confirmed the city's first case of measles this year in an individual who traveled internationally with their family to a country facing an outbreak.
The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness has been contact tracing to identify where the infected individual may have gone while contagious, notifying anyone who may have been at the same place at the same time that they may have been exposed.
Greenberg's office said the health department learned the individual infected with measles visited the Little Clinic inside the Kroger at 4915 Dixie Highway between 9:15 a.m. and noon on Wednesday, July 9.
Anyone who was at the location during that timeframe may have been exposed.
The case is the only confirmed case of measles in Louisville as of Wednesday. Greenberg's office said health officials will continue contact tracing.
The city's health department said those who may have been exposed should monitor themselves for any symptoms and provided the following steps those individuals should take, based on their vaccination status:
- Two documented, MMR vaccines or known measles immunity: No additional vaccines are needed.
- One documented MMR vaccination: Talk to your healthcare provider about a second MMR vaccine.
- No prior MMR vaccines: Contact the health department at (502) 574-8207 and stay at home through July 30.
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. Symptoms, which can begin presenting within eight to 12 days after exposure, include:
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red or watery eyes
The measles rash, health officials said, typically appears three to five days after symptoms begin, often on the face first before spreading down the rest of the body.
If you develop any of these symptoms, you're asked to stay home and contact your health care provider for guidance. Those who are showing symptoms should notify their health care provider's office so they can ensure proper precautions are taken before the infected individual visits to avoid spreading the infection.
The virus is preventable through vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.
"Immunization is the best way to protect yourself against measles," Dr. Kristina Bryant, associate medical director at Louisville's health department, said in a news release. "Individuals who have received two MMR vaccines have strong protection against measles infection."
Greenberg said of the other 12 active cases in Kentucky, 11 of the people were unvaccinated. Connie Mendel, Louisville's chief health strategist, said Tuesday the vaccination status of the Louisville patient isn't known at this time.
Mendel said two doses of the MMR vaccine provides 97% protection against the virus. According to Norton Healthcare, the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine is recommended for children starting at age 12 to 15 months, and a second dose between ages 4 and 6 years old. Children as young as six months are eligible to receive the vaccine if traveling internationally.
The city's health department offers vaccines for kids and adults at its Immunization Clinic. For information or to schedule an appointment, click here. More information about measles, including symptoms, treatment and more, can be found on the state health department website by clicking here.
"You're contagious before you ever have a symptom," Mendel said Tuesday. "A few days before you're symptomatic, those droplets from the virus from coughing and breathing and sneezing can hang in the air for up to two hours. That's why it's so contagious."
Earlier this month, Kentucky had its first measles outbreak of 2025, as the U.S. case count sat just short of a 30-year high. There were 1,288 confirmed measles cases this year as of July 9, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Public health experts said the true figure may be higher.
A recent study found childhood vaccination rates against measles fell after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data, including in states that are battling outbreaks this year. And CDC data showed that only 92.7% of kindergarteners in the U.S. had the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in the 2023-2024 school year, below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks.
Three people have died — two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico — and dozens of people have been hospitalized across the U.S.
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