Platte County now up to four cases of measles

Platte County is now up to four cases of measles diagnosed in the past week, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday.

All four cases are in the same household, and the department said two of the cases are currently active. It said there has so far been no evidence of community spread, even though there was the possibility of community exposure at two different locations in Columbus.

The department had earlier said the first two cases diagnosed were in unvaccinated children. It did not provide any details about the latest two cases, citing privacy concerns.

The cases bring the number diagnosed in Nebraska to five in the past eight months. In May, a vaccinated child in Sheridan County contracted the disease, and there were no other known cases. That case was the first one reported in the state in eight years.

Nationwide, there were more than 2,000 cases in 2025, the most since 1992.

The East Central District Health Department held a vaccine clinic in Columbus on Monday and plans to hold another one Friday.

“I encourage all Nebraskans to contact their health care provider to check their vaccination status against measles,” Dr. Sydney Stein, the state epidemiologist, said in a news release. “If you have not had two doses of MMR vaccine, talk to your health care provider or local health department right away.”