As cases of the measles continue to climb in the U.S. and Michigan, Washtenaw County health officials want to remind the public it is an entirely preventable disease.
Cases of measles in the U.S. jumped from fewer than 300 in 2024 to 2,000 in 2025. In Oakland County, a second case of measles was reported on December 16, with fears other people may have been exposed.
Beth Ann Hamilton is the Communications Coordinator for the Washtenaw County Health Department. She says cases of the disease are often linked to travel.
“It's really discouraging to see these cases be high throughout the country. And that's why we want to remind people, especially if they're traveling. I think people used to not really think about measles as something that you could pick up here in the States. We know that that is definitely not true anymore.”
Hamilton says two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles.
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