TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Shawnee County has recorded a measles exposure. <\/p>\n
According to Shawnee Co. Health Department (SCHD), a measles exposure reportedly occurred at Stormont Vail Health Emergency Room, 1500 SW 10th Ave, Topeka, KS 66604 on Sunday, Sept.20, 2026, at 10:15 p.m. to Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, at 4:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
Officials said that if you were at this location during this time, to look out for symptoms until at least Oct. 12, 2026. SCHD says that if you were at this location and are susceptible to measles, please avoid working in an adult care home, correctional facility, or health care facility and attending or working in a school, childcare facility, or adult day care until at least Oct. 12, 2026. <\/p>\n
Health officials says that contact with high-risk individuals, such as infants, pregnant people, and those who are unvaccinated, should also be avoided. <\/p>\n
SCHD tells 13 NEWS that there are no confirmed cases of measles in Shawnee Co. The patient is not a Shawnee Co. resident.<\/p>\n
People are considered susceptible to measles if they were born in 1957 or later and:<\/p>\n
Are not age-appropriately vaccinated, orLack laboratory evidence of immunity, orLack documentation of a previous measles infection<\/p>\n
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that spreads easily and does not require close contact. Early symptoms could include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that typically begins on the face and spreads downward.<\/p>\n
Precautions for the General Public:<\/p>\n
Ensure you and your family members are protected against measles. Safe and effective vaccines are available at the SCHD.Monitor for symptoms of measles and notify your healthcare provider or the SCHD immediately if symptoms develop.Practice good hygiene, including frequent hand washing, covering your cough, and staying home if you are ill.If you believe you may have been exposed to measles or you are experiencing symptoms consistent with measles, please get in touch with your healthcare provider before entering a medical facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no known cases in Shawnee County at this time. We are working closely with Stormont Vail Health and KDHE to respond to this exposure and ensure the public has the information they need,\u201d said Dr. Erin Locke, Health Officer for Shawnee County. \u201cVaccination remains our best defense against the spread of measles, and I encourage everyone to ensure they are immune to protect themselves and their loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. For more information about measles and the MMR vaccine, please visit www.kdhe.ks.gov\/measles<\/a> or www.shawneehealth.org\/hd\/measles.php<\/a> <\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WIBW. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Shawnee County has recorded a measles exposure. According to Shawnee Co. Health Department (SCHD),…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860702,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253,9572,363223,294113,46004,359427,359426],"class_list":["post-860701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-measles","tag-measles-kansas","tag-shawnee-county","tag-topeka","tag-topeka-kansas","tag-topeka-ks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}