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Geary County Health Department launches measles awareness push as state cases rise
Summary
The Geary County Health Department told commissioners it is preparing for possible spread of measles in Kansas, stepping up public messaging and coordinating supplies with regional partners; department data show other respiratory illnesses are low and the county’s wastewater lagoon facility passed KDHE inspection.
Charles Martinez (director, Geary County Health Department) told the commission the department is preparing for a potential spread of measles in Kansas and has started a public-awareness campaign to encourage MMR vaccination.
Martinez reported that Kansas had 37 measles cases at the time of the briefing and noted that three of those cases were in fully vaccinated individuals — a point Martinez used to emphasize that the MMR vaccine remains effective and that getting vaccinated reduces risk. The department has been using social media and local newspaper outreach and said the awareness campaign appears to have produced an uptick in people receiving MMR shots at the county health clinic.
On broader disease trends, Martinez said acute respiratory illnesses were down (he reported a 2% decrease), and local testing showed no recent positive RSV cases in the emergency room and no recent COVID-19 or influenza positives. Gastrointestinal illness reports were up slightly (about 1%), and the department said the uptick appears to be a mix of causes rather than a single pathogen.
Martinez said the health department is coordinating with the Wildcat Region and the Northeast Healthcare Coalition to ensure supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) are available. The department also reported a brief slowdown in vaccine administration because a county nurse is on FMLA leave; Martinez said vaccine throughput should normalize when staffing returns.
On environmental health and utilities, Martinez noted that Sewer District No. 4 received a routine KDHE compliance inspection and was found in compliance with its permit.
Commissioners did not take formal action on the public-health report but thanked Martinez for the update and encouraged continued public outreach.
