In late February, Indiana learned that a single unvaccinated resident of Lake County had contracted measles, the state's first confirmed case in five years. It is a small event against the long history of a disease once thought nearly vanquished, yet it lays bare a familiar fault line: where protection thins, even a lone infection becomes a question of who is still within reach of the shot. For now, officials report no further cases, and the community is left to decide whether the quiet will last.
No New Measles Cases Reported in Lake County After Indiana's First Case in Five Years
One unvaccinated individual in Lake County was infected with measles; no age, community, or condition was disclosed due to privacy concerns.
Three people were vaccinated at Wednesday's clinics.
Mark
One case, no others since. Why is this getting so much attention?
Mimi
Because it's the first in Indiana in five years, and because it happened in a county with some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state. Gary's health officer says that with measles, one case counts as an outbreak.
Luke
Worth noting what we don't know. The person was unvaccinated, but there's no age, no community, nothing else. The health department cited privacy.
Mark
And the clinics last week?
Mimi
Three clinics, run with the Lake County, East Chicago and Gary health departments. Foot traffic was light. At the Feb. 28 clinics, three people were vaccinated.
Luke
That three is the department's own count for that day. The report doesn't give totals for all three clinics, so I wouldn't stretch it into a bigger claim.
Mark
What about the vaccination numbers?
Mimi
42.98% of children aged 19 to 35 months had completed the recommended series in the fourth quarter of 2023. The state figure was 57.7%, but that's for 2022.
Luke
Right, so those are different years. They suggest a gap, but it's not a clean side-by-side comparison.
Mark
Is the public at risk?
Mimi
Officials say the risk is low, though unvaccinated people and young children are most vulnerable. Gary has extended its vaccine hours, and officials plan school clinics.
Luke
And the investigation is still open. "No new cases" is where things stand now, not a final answer.
Il Polso
- A lone measles case in Lake County has broken Indiana's five-year stretch without the disease, and the unvaccinated patient's identity remains sealed.
- Health officials call the public risk low, yet warn that toddlers and the unprotected face the gravest danger, since one case is treated as an outbreak.
- Turnout at the first round of MMR clinics was thin, a worrying sign in a county where only about 43 percent of toddlers have finished their vaccine series.
- Gary and Lake County health departments are extending clinic hours, planning school outreach, and pushing messages through radio, billboards, and social media.
- The coming weeks will reveal whether the silence holds and whether expanded clinics finally draw the families who stayed away.
In late February, Indiana learned that a single unvaccinated resident of Lake County had contracted measles, the state's first confirmed case in five years. It is a small event against the long history of a disease once thought nearly vanquished, yet it lays bare a familiar fault line: where protection thins, even a lone infection becomes a question of who is still within reach of the shot. For now, officials report no further cases, and the community is left to decide whether the quiet will last.
Three people came through the measles vaccination clinics held on Wednesday, February 28, in Lake County, Indiana. They arrived days after the state announced its first confirmed measles case in five years, a case traced to Lake County. The Indiana Department of Health reported no further cases since, and the infected person, who was unvaccinated, remains unnamed. Age and community were withheld for privacy.
State and local officials say they are still investigating and taking every recommended step to stop the disease from spreading. The department describes the risk to the public as low, though young children and unvaccinated people are especially exposed. The MMR vaccine is the protection: two doses are about 97 percent effective, and one dose about 93 percent.
The thin turnout worries those working the front line. Lake County has some of the lowest childhood vaccination rates in Indiana, with fewer than half of children aged 19 to 35 months completing their recommended series in late 2023. Dr. Janet Seabrook, Gary's health officer, noted that because measles spreads so easily, a single case counts as an outbreak.
In Gary, Veronica Collins's health department has extended vaccine hours to meet demand, and phone calls came in after the clinic. Plans include reaching families through social media, local radio, billboards, and school-based clinics in partnership with the state. Dr. Chandana Vavilala, Lake County's health officer, said the county had already been working to raise rates using Health First Indiana funding.
Upcoming clinic dates will be posted on the county health department's website, and residents can call (219) 755-3655. The question now is whether the quiet holds, and whether the added effort brings in the people the first round did not.
Three people. That is how many came through the vaccination clinics held on Wednesday, Feb. 28, in Lake County, Indiana, days after the state announced its first confirmed case of measles in five years.
The Indiana Department of Health made that announcement on Feb. 23 and identified Lake County as the place where the case was found. According to the department, no further cases have been reported since, a point it repeated this week. The person who became ill was not vaccinated. Beyond that, little is known: the department withheld the person's age and community, citing privacy concerns.
Lisa Welch, media relations coordinator for the department, said state and local health officials are still investigating and taking every recommended step to keep the disease from spreading. She described the risk to the general public as low in this case, while noting that young children and unvaccinated people are particularly vulnerable. By her figures, about one in five unvaccinated people in the United States who get measles end up hospitalized, and 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will become sick.
The protection against that, she said, is the MMR vaccine. Two doses are about 97% effective at preventing measles, and one dose about 93%.
The low turnout at the clinics matters because of where they were held. Last week the state health department, working with the Lake County, East Chicago and Gary health departments, offered three measles, mumps and rubella clinics. Foot traffic was light despite the announcement. Lake County has some of the lowest vaccination rates in Indiana. In the fourth quarter of 2023, only 42.98% of children aged 19 to 35 months had completed the recommended series of vaccinations for that age, which includes the MMR shot. The statewide completion rate for that age group in 2022 was 57.7%, according to the health department's website.
Dr. Janet Seabrook, Gary's health officer, noted that because measles spreads so easily, a single case is considered an outbreak.
In Gary, the response is continuing. Veronica Collins, executive director of the Gary Health Department, said her office co-hosted the clinic with the state and has extended the hours during which vaccines are offered to meet any demand. After the clinic, the department received phone calls asking about vaccine availability. Both adults and children can be vaccinated there. Collins said the department plans to spread the word through social media, newspapers, WLTH radio, billboards and its website, and is working with the state through Health First Indiana to extend immunization clinics into schools.
Dr. Chandana Vavilala, Lake County's health officer, said officials knew the county's vaccination rates were low before this case appeared, and have been using some Health First Indiana funding to raise rates generally.
Dates and locations of upcoming clinics will be posted on the county health department's website. Residents who need an MMR or any other vaccine and would rather not wait can call the department at (219) 755-3655. The thing to watch is whether the quiet holds, and whether the added clinic hours and school outreach draw more people than the first round did.
Citazioni salienti
The risk to the public is low in this case. However, young children and unvaccinated individuals are particularly at risk.— Lisa Welch, Indiana Department of Health
Because of how contagious measles is, one case is considered an outbreak.— Dr. Janet Seabrook, Gary health officer (paraphrased)
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