COLUMBUS, Ohio – As outbreaks of mumps and measles continue to grow in Ohio, Gov. John Kasich has issued an executive order to let pharmacists administer vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella to adults.
According to Columbus Public Health, 417 mumps cases are reported in Franklin, Delaware and Madison counties, with 232 of those linked to Ohio State University.
The Ohio Department of Health reported on Monday that a case of measles had been confirmed in Highland County, in southwest Ohio. The new case in Highland County involves an infant less than six months old whose family traveled in mid-May to north-central Ohio, where six counties are experiencing a measles outbreak. The state says only one case has been in Highland County but cautions that number could rise.
Most of the nation’s measles cases stem from the outbreak in in northern Ohio, where 287 cases have been confirmed, most of them in Knox County. Ohio’s measles outbreak is part of the largest outbreak in the U.S. since 1994.
Gov. John Kasich’s Monday order expands access to the MMR vaccinations for 90 days.
Health officials are urging people to be fully vaccinated. They say the vaccine is 97 percent effective in preventing the diseases.