Kittitas County measles tally

Kittitas County confirmed a fifth measles case on April 14, adding a new adult patient to a fast-growing cluster this month. (co.kittitas.wa.us) The county health department said the patient’s vaccination status is unknown and that the new case is not connected to the household with three measles cases already in isolation. Officials said the county’s 2026 total has now reached five. (co.kittitas.wa.us) Public exposure tied to the new case happened on April 11 from 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kittitas Valley Healthcare emergency room and its waiting room. Anyone who was there and lacks measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination is being told to quarantine and call a medical provider. (co.kittitas.wa.us) Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and Kittitas County says the virus can remain in a room for up to two hours. The county says two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine are 97 percent effective. (co.kittitas.wa.us) The new case landed one day after Kittitas County reported four cases for 2026, including three people in one household who had stayed home since becoming ill. That earlier household cluster was not believed to have exposed additional people. (co.kittitas.wa.us) Kittitas County’s first measles case of 2026 was announced on January 15 and involved a Central Washington University student. The county listed exposure sites on campus for January 8 and January 9, including the Student Union and Recreation Center dining area, the Samuelson Building, and the flight training center. (co.kittitas.wa.us) County officials ended that January response on February 2 after monitored contacts cleared quarantine with no additional symptomatic cases reported. The health department said at the time that rising measles activity elsewhere in Washington and the United States increased the risk of new local cases. (co.kittitas.wa.us) Washington state had reported 33 confirmed measles cases in 2026 as of the Department of Health update posted April 6, with Kittitas County listed at two cases in that statewide count. The state said those figures were preliminary and subject to change. (doh.wa.gov) Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1,714 confirmed measles cases had been reported in 2026 as of April 9, with 94 percent linked to outbreaks. Kittitas County health officials are telling residents to check their immunization records now, because more local cases remain possible. (cdc.gov)