As of Thursday morning, there are at least 82 cases of measles in central Ohio, officials said, all of which are children.
All of those cases were among unvaccinated children with no travel history, officials said, as Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts urged parents to vaccinate their children.
By the end of the month, cases were linked to several more sites, including Polaris Mall, a church and a grocery store.
The number has since spiked, and as of Thursday morning, Columbus Public Health reported at least 82 cases, including 32 hospitalizations.
All of those cases are among children 17 and younger, with nearly 94% of those cases infecting infants, babies and children up to the age of 5, health data shows.
The MMR vaccine is critical in preventing the spread of measles, as 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will become infected, Columbus health officials warned.
"The measles vaccine has been available since 1963 and has really had to be changed very little since that time. »
