A person diagnosed with measles visited Kraft House No. 5 in Powell last Sunday, and now health officials are urging anyone who was there during a five-hour window to watch themselves for symptoms over the next three weeks. The Delaware Public Health District says the possible exposure happened at the restaurant, located at 5 South Liberty Street, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 4.
Health officials are investigating the possible exposure after the restaurant visitor was diagnosed with the virus, according to NBC4i. Officials say there is no ongoing exposure risk outside that specific window, and anyone who was at Kraft House No. 5 during those hours should monitor for symptoms for 21 days.
Anyone who develops symptoms is advised to stay home, avoid contact with others, and call a health care provider before showing up at a medical office or hospital, per the same report from NBC4i. Calling ahead lets health care facilities take precautions to prevent further spread, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, which also reported on the health district's warning.
What Measles Looks Like
Measles symptoms typically begin with a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, the health district says. A rash may follow three to five days after those initial symptoms, often starting on the face before spreading downward toward the rest of the body.
Symptoms usually appear seven to 14 days after exposure, though it can take as long as 21 days to show up, according to the same NBC4i report. People infected with measles can spread the virus from four days before a rash appears through four days after, and the virus can live up to two hours in a space where an infected person coughed or sneezed.
Measles spreads when people breathe contaminated air or touch an infected surface and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth, the health district notes. The Delaware Public Health District recommends the MMR vaccine as the best protection, and anyone unsure of their vaccination status is encouraged to consult a health care provider or contact the district directly.
Ohio's Measles Numbers Keep Climbing
The Powell scare lands amid a sharp statewide surge. The Ohio Department of Health reported 228 measles cases across 21 counties so far in 2026 as of Oct. 8, according to the Columbus Dispatch — a 406% jump from the 45 cases reported in all of 2025. The state logged 22 new cases in the week before that update, up from 10 the week before.
The vast majority of Ohio's cases are among unvaccinated individuals, per the Ohio Department of Health, as cited in the same Dispatch report. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles, the department reports.
A National Trend
Reported measles cases have continued to rise in Ohio and across the country. The CDC reported 4,080 confirmed measles cases nationwide as of Oct. 8, an increase of 193 from the previous week, according to U.S. News & World Report. Measles-related hospitalizations this year stand at 414, or 10% of reported cases, and the CDC has confirmed two measles-associated deaths in 2026.
Children and teenagers aged 5 to 19 accounted for the largest share of cases nationally, with 1,716 infections, or 42% of the total, U.S. News reports. Other states are seeing even steeper tolls: Pennsylvania has logged 1,136 measles cases in 2026, including 219 hospitalizations, while New York declared a statewide disaster emergency after reporting 108 cases through Oct. 3, including 92 since mid-July.
