After more than a decade with no measles cases, Kent County confirmed its second case of measles in 2025 on Wednesday.
The county health department issued a warning that the public may have been exposed to the new case at the Helen Devos Children's Hospital emergency room in downtown Grand Rapids late Friday night into early Saturday morning.
The potential exposure happened between 11:38 p.m. Friday, June 27, and 12:06 a.m. Saturday, June 28.
The health department urged people who were at the hospital during that time to monitor themselves for symptoms until July 19.
Those symptoms include:
- High fever (may spike to over 104°F)
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
- Tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums and roof of mouth (Koplik Spots) 2-3 days after symptoms begin
- A rash that is red, raised, blotchy; usually starts on face, spreads to trunk, arms and legs 3-5 days after symptoms begin
Kent County Health Officer Adam London said the new case is part of a "troubling resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases."
Vaccination rates have dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic, and health officials have said that's contributing to outbreaks of dangerous illnesses that could have been avoided.
Measles is particularly worrisome because of how contagious it is. "If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected" with a vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The number of measles cases in Michigan this year — 17 so far, with two known outbreaks — is almost triple the number at this time last year.
The Kent County Health Department said the new case is in a person whose family recently traveled internationally.
