ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – Tompkins County health officials want to warn residents about measles.

According to the Tompkins County Whole Health Department (TCWH), cases of the highly infectious disease have popped up across the United States and Canada. As of March 4, the outbreak in Texas has reached 146 cases, including the death of an unvaccinated school-aged child reported last week. In 2024, 40% of people reported to have measles required hospitalization, and half of those cases were children under 5.

Although no cases have been reported in Upstate New York, two have been reported in New York City this year, and TCWH strongly urges getting the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine, which has an effective rate of 97%.

“The decline of the MMR vaccination rate is the cause of the outbreak we are seeing in Texas,” said TCWH Medical Director Dr. William Klepack. “There is nothing ‘normal’ about a measles outbreak. Every case of measles is highly contagious and very dangerous. For every 10 unvaccinated persons exposed, 9 will come down with the disease and expose others. Measles is as close to all of us as one infected person flying or driving into our area, which has happened in years past.”

People born before 1957 are considered immune, and people born after 1957 typically receive their shots as children. Officials say a 95% vaccination rate is needed to achieve herd immunity because the disease is so contagious. One Tompkins County demographic group falls below that threshold, and Klepack says it means a spread is very likely should someone test positive in the region.

“Our local rate of only 85% vaccination for children between ages two and three is unacceptably low,” added Klepack. “We should be concerned about our low vaccination rates, as the risk of hospitalization significantly increases for those unvaccinated, especially if under the age of 5. For every 100 persons hospitalized from measles, we can expect up to 3-4 deaths to occur.”

TCWH offers low or no-cost immunization clinics every Friday through the Vaccines for Children and Vaccines for Adult programs, funded by New York State. Clinics are open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment only.

Call TCWH at (607)-274-6604 to learn more, check your vaccination records, or schedule an appointment.