The children were unvaccinated at the time they were exposed. They traveled to an area in the U.S. with an ongoing measles outbreak, according to ODH.
Health officials are working with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to follow up on potential exposures and to promote opportunities for vaccination.
“The fact that we again have measles cases in Ohio underlines the importance of being fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, ODH director. “This disease can be very serious, but it is also preventable. I strongly encourage you to protect yourselves and your children by getting vaccinated.”
Measles is very contagious and can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. The measles vaccine — called MMR as it protects against measles, mumps and rubella — is safe and effective at preventing measles, according to health professionals.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine is 97% effective against measles. For people up to date on measles vaccine, the risk of getting sick is very low.
Ohio had 45 cases of measles in 2025 — including the one case mentioned above — and seven cases in 2024. The state had one measles case in 2023 and 90 cases in 2022, when an outbreak in central Ohio totaled 85 cases.
In 2025, a total of 2,144 confirmed measles cases was reported across 44 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control. About 93% of those cases were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
Ohio joins North Carolina and South Carolina in a handful of cases in 2026 so far.
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