The Cuyahoga County Board of Health announced May 8 that the year's first case of measles in Cuyahoga County was reported when a child tested positive at Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights.
The board of health is urging residents to protect themselves by getting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The vaccine "provides long-term immunity," said Takisha Fuller, the board's deputy director of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Informatics. "The vaccine is approximately 97% effective at preventing measles, and so we are advising the community to stay up to date and current on their vaccine.”
She recommended unvaccinated people or those who were vaccinated before 1968 talk to their doctors about getting the shot. The minimal side effects may include a sore arm, redness and some swelling.
Getting vaccinated can also help keep the disease from spreading to people who are prone to complications, including pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems, she said.
“Some of those complications may be serious and also fatal, such as pneumonia, encephalitis, which means the inflammation of the brain, and in rare cases, death,” Fuller said.
Residents can check their vaccination status by speaking with their doctor or by getting a blood test to determine immunity levels.
According to the board of health, a person is considered immune if they:
- Have had two doses of measles vaccination, while at least 12 months of age or older
- Show immunity to measles in blood work
- Were born before Dec. 31, 1956
Cuyahoga County has a lower MMR vaccination rate at 86.4% of area kindergarteners than the state average of 88.3% for the 2024-25 school year.
