Franklin County has eight confirmed measles cases, including one added in the week ending Oct. 15, as Ohio’s 2026 measles case total climbs to 252 infections across 23 counties.

The statewide total represents a 460% increase over the 45 cases reported in all of 2025, the Newark Advocate reported, citing the Ohio Department of Health's (ODH) infectious diseases dashboard updated Oct. 15. The state recorded 24 new cases in the week ending Oct. 15.

The vast majority of Ohio's cases are among unvaccinated individuals, ODH reports.

Franklin County is no stranger to measles exposure. In October 2025, WOSU reported that a measles-infected person visited the New Albany Learning Center on Swickard Woods Boulevard and the Target on North Hamilton Road. That cluster involved five confirmed cases in the county. The fifth case involved an unvaccinated 6-year-old who had traveled abroad, according to Franklin County Public Health spokeswoman Kristin Howard.

The county's case count has now risen to eight in 2026, part of an outbreak that included confirmed exposures in Franklin County in February and a separate cluster in Cuyahoga County in January.

Vaccination rates fall short

Ohio's measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate among kindergartners stood at about 88% during the 2025-26 school year, according to the Columbus Dispatch. That falls well below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity. Ohio was one of 18 states with MMR rates below 90% that school year.

The percentage of Ohio kindergartners receiving vaccine exemptions also rose, climbing from 3.6% to 4.2% over two school years, according to CDC data reported by Spectrum News 1. Ohio allows families to seek exemptions for medical reasons or based on personal or religious beliefs.

Dr. Mysheika Roberts, Columbus Public Health commissioner, said at a Sept. 8 vaccination clinic that more families are opting out. "There's definitely been an increase of families who have opted out of vaccines because just of everything that happened during the pandemic, I don't want to just blame it on COVID," Roberts said, as Spectrum News 1 reported.

Under Ohio law, students have 14 days from the start of the school year to show proof of required vaccinations, be in the process of receiving them or qualify for an exemption. Students who remain out of compliance can be excluded from school. Those missed days count toward chronic absenteeism under Ohio's attendance law.

What parents should know

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles, according to ODH. Vaccinated individuals have a very low risk of getting sick.

Measles is highly contagious. The virus can live for up to two hours in the air where an infected person coughed or sneezed. Symptoms appear seven to 21 days after exposure and include high fever, rash, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes.

ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff said in a July 30 statement that the outbreaks are preventable and urged families to get vaccinated. Nationally, measles cases have hit a 35-year high, with Johns Hopkins University data released Oct. 9 showing 4,267 cases reported nationwide.

Families seeking MMR vaccinations can contact their pediatrician or call Franklin County Public Health to schedule an appointment.