More than two decades ago, measles — a highly contagious and potentially deadly childhood disease — was declared eliminated in the United States. So far in 2025, multiple measles outbreaks have been identified across the country, a child in Texas has died from the disease.
While there is currently no known outbreak in Kentucky, Nicholas Van Sickels, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and medical director for Infection Prevention and Control at UK HealthCare, took some time to discuss what measles is, how it spreads and the best way to prevent being infected.