WAVERLY, Ohio — Confirmed measles cases in Pike County have risen to 24, with two additional suspected cases under investigation, and an infant has been hospitalized with the illness, the Pike County General Health District reported in a November 9 update covered by WSAZ and the Scioto Post.
The new total is up from 22 confirmed cases the health district reported on October 24, according to the Scioto Valley Guardian’s earlier coverage of the outbreak. The health district first confirmed a single measles case in the county on October 8, then reported 20 additional cases on October 23 after completing contact tracing for those infections.
The hospitalized infant underscores why health officials treat measles as more than a routine childhood illness. Measles is highly contagious, and infants and young children who are not fully vaccinated face the highest risk of severe complications — a point the health district emphasized in its release, as reported by the Scioto Post.
Pike County’s outbreak is part of Ohio’s third measles outbreak of 2026. The Ohio Department of Health reported 310 cases across 25 counties for the year as of its November 5 dashboard update, according to The Columbus Dispatch, with the vast majority of cases statewide among unvaccinated individuals.
In October, as cases climbed, the Pike County General Health District teamed with the Ross County Health District and the Highland County Health Department to offer free vaccines, including measles shots, at a clinic in Bainbridge — part of the push to close vaccination gaps in the region while contact tracing continued.
Residents who need a vaccination or are unsure of their vaccination status can contact the Pike County General Health District at 740-947-7721, the district said, and additional information is posted on the district’s website, pike-health.org.
What happens next is continued monitoring: the two suspected cases remain under investigation, and the health district is expected to update its confirmed count as laboratory results come in. Anyone in Pike County who believes they were exposed, or who develops measles symptoms, should call the health district or their health-care provider before arriving in person, so staff can limit further exposure.