(WKYT) – The Laurel County Health Department said Tuesday in a social media release that it has identified 56 reported cases of measles in the area since August.
However, only seven cases of the disease have been confirmed in the county thus far.
The new reported cases are part of an investigation with the Kentucky Department of Public Health and are linked to several large households with limited community interaction; no public exposures have been connected to the cases.
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“The total number of cases reflects all cases identified since late August and should not be interpreted as the number of individuals who are currently ill or infectious, as some cases occurred earlier in the investigation period,” health department officials said in the release.
The health department said the MMR vaccine provides the best protection against the disease.
The investigation into the cases remains ongoing.
More than 100 cases have been reported as part of the ongoing measles outbreak in Kentucky since it began in the western part of the commonwealth in July.