Seneca County sounds alarm on measles cases: ‘This is an outbreak’
Fri, August 21, 2026 at 4:48 PM
UpdatedFri, August 21, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Boxes and vials of the measles, mumps, rubella virus vaccine at a vaccine clinic put on by Lubbock <a href="https://healthylife7.com/kdhe-issues-public-health-advisories-for-several-kansas-lakes/" title="KDHE issues Public Health Advisories for several Kansas lakes”>Public Health Department are pictured March 1, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)
Seneca County is sounding the public health alarm after two additional measles caseswere detected, bringing the total number of cases to five. There are also two presumed positive cases
“This is an outbreak,” said Scott King, the county’s public health director. “This is an outbreak in our county, and I suspect beyond that here in the Finger Lakes.”
King said the last exposure for any trace of measles in Seneca County was back in 2011, but the respiratory disease spreads fast
“If you’re in that contact with a contagious individual and you’re unvaccinated or not immune from previous infection, there’s about a 90% chance you are going to walk away with measles,” he said
King said those at the greatest risk are the elderly, infants, immunocompromised and those unvaccinated
However, for most people in Seneca County, “the overall risk to the general public, especially for those who are fully immunized against the disease, is low,” he said
Symptoms can be a high fever, runny nose, or red, blotchy rashes. The disease can also turn deadly
King won’t say if the outbreak is tied to a specific group or demographic, but it has spread from unvaccinated adults
“We don’t want to stigmatize any community, and we want to encourage anyone who has signs or symptoms to seek medical treatment,” he said
King said, if you have symptoms, call ahead so the urgent care or emergency department can prepare to limit the spread. The best way to not get measles is to get vaccinated
“The first dose of the vaccine will get you to around 90% immunity for most people,” said King. “You get that second dose and become fully immunized, that level of immunity goes up to about 97%, so that is one of the most effective vaccines that we have in public health.”
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