Two people from out of state who had measles passed through Cincinnati Children's Emergency Department while contagious this week, prompting local health officials to track down anyone who may have crossed paths with them. Officials say the exposure was limited to public areas of the ER, and no active measles cases have been confirmed in Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Health Department reported the exposure, according to WCPO 9 News, identifying two separate windows when other patients and visitors could have been exposed. The first ran from 5:40 p.m. to 7:48 p.m. on Sept. 14, and the second stretched from 11:15 p.m. that night to 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 15. Health officials say the two contagious visitors have since returned to their home state.
Cincinnati Children's and the health department are now reaching out to people who may have been in the emergency department during those windows. Anyone with questions about a possible exposure can call the health department at (513) 357-7462, and officials are urging anyone who develops measles symptoms to contact a medical provider right away rather than showing up unannounced at a clinic or hospital.
Vaccination Is the Best Defense, Officials Say
Health officials are also encouraging people who are unsure of their vaccination status to talk to a provider about getting the MMR vaccine. A single dose of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine offers 93% protection against the virus, while two doses push that protection to 97%, according to the Montgomery County Health District.
The Cincinnati case adds to a string of measles exposures reported at Ohio hospitals this year. In August, University Hospitals in Cleveland reported that a Pennsylvania resident diagnosed with measles had visited several of its facilities, including the Rainbow Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, the Rainbow main entrance lobby, an elevator and the Cleveland Medical Center atrium, per Cleveland 19 News. That same report noted Ohio had logged 45 measles cases so far this year, five of which required hospitalization.
A Pattern Playing Out Across Ohio and Beyond
The Warren City Health District announced a similar scare in August, warning that people who visited St. Joseph Warren Hospital's emergency room and waiting area on Aug. 23 may have been exposed, according to WKBN. That agency advised anyone potentially exposed to watch for symptoms for 21 days, with onset most likely between Aug. 30 and Sept. 13.
Ohio has seen this kind of hospital exposure before. In early 2024, a Montgomery County resident with measles visited Dayton Children's Hospital's main-campus emergency department on two separate days, with exposure windows spanning overnight hours on Jan. 29 and an afternoon stretch on Jan. 31, per the Montgomery County Health District. That same year-end tally from the health district showed how much the numbers have swung — Ohio recorded just one measles case in 2023, compared with 90 in 2022, when an outbreak centered in central Ohio reached 85 cases.
Other States Are Watching Their Own Numbers Climb
The exposure risk isn't confined to Ohio. Maryland health officials warned this week that an out-of-state visitor who tested positive for measles during Labor Day weekend may have exposed people at an Ocean City hotel and two restaurants, according to WBAL-TV. As of Sept. 16, Maryland had confirmed 40 measles cases this year, following an earlier outbreak declaration in Carroll, Cecil and St. Mary's counties that added 14 confirmed cases among unvaccinated residents.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's data indicated 3,294 confirmed measles cases had been reported across the country as of Sept. 10, though that figure carries lower confidence given how it was sourced. For now, Cincinnati health officials say no active measles cases have been confirmed locally, and the focus remains on identifying anyone who passed through the emergency department during the two exposure windows earlier this week.
