Fewer Kansas kindergarten students get measles vaccine as cases spiral nationwide

TOPEKA — Kansas has seen 14 cases of measles so far this year, avoiding the outbreaks being recorded in many states, even though measles vaccination rates for school kids dropped by four percentage points in the past five years.

Measles cases have spiraled nationwide, topping 5,412 confirmed cases in a country where the disease was considered eliminated just 25 years ago.

Kansas reported eight cases in October and one in November, bringing the 2026 total to 14 cases, according to the state’s Infectious Disease Dashboard. 

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 96% of cases nationally are outbreak-related, meaning they are being transmitted within the community, a Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokeswoman said Kansas cases were acquired primarily through travel.

“The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), in partnership with local health departments, have been investigating an increase in measles cases,” said agency spokeswoman Jill Bronaugh. “The cases are primarily linked to travel, with some secondary transmission within households.”

She said KDHE has been reaching out to healthcare providers across the state to increase awareness about measles. The agency also is providing rapid testing through the state public health laboratory, she said, and is offering the measles, mumps, and rubella, or MMR, vaccine.

Kansas tracks vaccination rates through its kindergarten enrollment data. MMR vaccinations dropped by just more than four percentage points since the 2019-20 school year when 94.47% of kindergarteners received the vaccine, compared to 90.26% in 2025-26.

Kansas parents claiming vaccine exemptions jumped from 2.12% in 2019-20 school year to 4.46% in 2025-26. 

Seven Kansas counties reported less than 75% required MMR vaccine coverage in 2025-26, compared to two in 2019-20.