Wayne County’s confirmed measles case count has increased by two cases after staying steady for about two weeks, and health officials have clarified how they arrived at that number.
According to Indiana Department of Health, Wayne County’s measles case count grew to eight on Friday, Oct. 9. Indiana’s measles dashboard shows 30 known measles cases this year.
Randolph County, Wayne County’s northern neighbor, has one case as of press time.
Switzerland County remained at six cases, and Parke and Adams counties each have four.
LaGrange County has three; Allen, DeKalb, Ohio and Miami counties have one each.
Nearby Franklin County Community Schools alerted families Oct. 1 that a student connected to Laurel Elementary might have measles. Superintendent Dustin Gehring said they were proactively sharing the information and increasing cleaning throughout the building. A few days later, FCCS officials said the test came back negative.
On Sept. 23, Wayne County Health Department said measles cases are reported as confirmed only after a positive lab test has been received. Symptoms or suspicions alone can’t be reported as a confirmed case on IDOH’s website.
About measles
IDOH says measles spreads via respiratory droplets and airborne transmission. The virus remains airborne for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves an area, and 90% of susceptible people who are exposed will develop it.
Patients are contagious four days before the rash begins and four days afterward.
Initial symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, pink eye and malaise, generally appearing 10-12 days after exposure.
One in 20 people with measles will develop pneumonia, the leading cause of measles-related deaths, Wayne County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Bales told the health board.
CDC says complications also can include encephalitis, death (one to three of every 1,000 infected kids) and hospitalization (about one in five unvaccinated U.S. patients).
County counts are updated at in.gov/health/idepd/diseases-and-conditions-resource-page/measles.
A version of this article will appear in the October 14 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
