The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) in a weekly update today reported 9 more measles cases, lifting its total to 46 infections across eight counties, all in the southwestern part of the state.
Kansas is among the states with cases linked to the large outbreak in West Texas. Of the total, 42 patients were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. Most infections involve children.
One patient was hospitalized in the Kansas outbreak, but no deaths have been reported.
Montana, Ohio report more cases
In Montana, Gallatin County health officials reported two more cases, raising the county's total to seven. The newly confirmed patients had household exposure to five people whose earlier illnesses were linked to out-of-state travel.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services said the two latest patients weren't vaccinated and were isolating at home when their symptoms began. No other exposure sites were identified.
The initial five cases marked Montana's first since 1990.
Elsewhere, Defiance County, Ohio, has reported a confirmed measles infection in an adult resident with an unknown vaccination status who had minimal contact with other people. In a statement, the health department said the patient has recovered.
Officials didn't say where the patient might have contracted the virus.
Apart from the Eest Texas outbreak, Ohio has been one of the hardest-hit states, with 32 cases reported this year, 28 of them due to local spread, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Most of the state's cases are in Ashtabula and Knox counties.
