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Duplin County health director reports measles cases, flu deaths and rising communicable diseases
Summary
Duplin County Health Department reported 15 measles cases across six counties, three flu deaths in January (all over age 70), and increases in pertussis, animal bites and certain foodborne illnesses at the consolidated human services board meeting.
Duplin County Health Department officials reported a rise in several communicable diseases and briefed the consolidated human services board on upcoming accreditation and program funding.
"We have seen a decline in our respiratory surveillance across Eastern North Carolina," Dr. Tracy Simmons Kennedy told the board, but she also said the department recorded three flu deaths in January and noted other concerning trends. "There have been 3 flu deaths in the month of January. All 3 of those individuals are over the age of 70." She referenced state totals and age distributions for influenza-related deaths.
On measles, Dr. Kennedy said the state has recorded 15 cases across six counties beginning in December 2025; she said 74% of those cases were unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown. "Duplin County is noted as high coverage, which means that 95 percent of our individuals that are in school do have their measles vaccine," she said, citing the state measles vaccination dashboard.
The department reported increases in several other conditions compared with 2024: animal bites rose from 75 to 87, rabies post‑exposure prophylaxis doses increased from 12 to 23, and pertussis rose to seven cases in 2025 after registering none in 2024. Dr. Kennedy also listed recent foodborne illnesses including campylobacter, E. coli and salmonella. She said chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV/active TB cases decreased during the same period.
Dr. Kennedy summarized the child fatality prevention team’s 2025 activity, saying the local team held three meetings to review eight deaths from 2024 (five related to infant prematurity or perinatal conditions, two from illness and one accidental motor‑vehicle death). She noted the typical state reporting lag of about 12 months for these reviews.
The health department provided several program and funding updates: an immunization assessment completed Jan. 13 received a positive report; WIC was awarded an additional $13,104, bringing its annual budget to more than $470,000; and breast and cervical cancer screening funding increased by $32,500 to a total of $58,600 to support roughly 100 additional screenings. The department also became a preferred primary‑care provider for certain Aetna state employee PPO plans, with co‑payments of $10 or $15 depending on the plan.
Dr. Kennedy reminded commissioners that the department’s accreditation site visit is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 25; she said the commissioners’ portion of the visit is expected to be roughly 10:00–11:30 a.m. The health advisory council named Dr. Lee Gurley chair and Dr. Margie Hunter vice chair for 2026, and the council’s next meeting is Feb. 12.
The board did not take formal action on the health report; the department will proceed with the accreditation site visit and ongoing program monitoring.
