Nebraska Sees Second Measles Case in 2023
In a concerning development for public health, Nebraska has logged its second case of measles this year. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday that a child in Platte County, who had not received the measles vaccination, has been diagnosed with the disease following travel to Arizona.
Concerns about potential exposure have been raised, as the affected child visited two public locations on separate occasions. The department specified that individuals may have been exposed on December 24 from 4:30-8:30 p.m. at Shell Creek Baptist Church in Columbus, and on December 29 from 2-6:30 a.m. at the Columbus Community Hospital Emergency Department.
The department urges anyone who was at these locations during the specified times to evaluate their risk by visiting their website and completing the risk assessment survey.
For those without internet access or needing assistance with the survey, the East Central District Health Department can be reached at 402-562-8969 for support.
This incident marks the second measles case in Nebraska for 2023, following an earlier case in May involving a vaccinated child in Sheridan County. Remarkably, that was the first reported case in the state in eight years. Nationwide, measles cases have surged to over 2,000 across 44 states this year, the highest tally since 1992, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
