OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The Ottawa County Department of Public Health confirmed the county's first measles case since 1991 on Tuesday.
Officials are working to notify anyone who may have been exposed to the virus. No public exposure sites were announced by the health department.
The county launched a webpage with information on measles, promising to update it with details for neighbors as it tracks possible exposures.
Health officials encourage residents to check their vaccination status and watch for symptoms.
Measles symptoms include a high fever (possibly spiking above 104°F), cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes and a red blotchy rash that starts on the face. Symptoms usually appear 7 to 21 days after exposure, per health officials.
If you or someone in your home develops measles-like symptoms, you are encouraged to call your primary health provider or health system before leaving to receive care. That will allow health workers to prepare to best treat a potential measles patient.
Measles is highly contagious, approximately nine out of ten people who are not immune to it will catch the disease if exposed. The Ottawa County Department of Public Health said immunity to measles is defined as:
- Any child or adult who has received two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine
- A preschool-aged child who received one dose of the MMR vaccine
- Anyone who previously had measles
- Anyone born before 1957. It is presumed those people caught measles before a vaccine was developed.
The measles case in Ottawa County marks the ninth case in Michigan. Seven other cases are all based in Washtenaw County, where state health officials are monitoring an outbreak of the disease. The initial patient was a person who had recently traveled from Florida and was unvaccinated, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The eighth case in the state, which is believed to be tied to the Washtenaw County outbreak, is in Monroe County.
As of April 9, 1,714 measles cases were confirmed in the U.S. across 33 states in 2026.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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