Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear told Kentuckians to ignore the advice of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the state grapples with a measles outbreak.
Kennedy has promoted misinformation about vaccines since before his appointment as head of the federal agency. Earlier this year, the department attempted to cut the number of vaccines recommended for children, a move that was blocked by a federal judge.
At his weekly Team Kentucky briefing, Beshear appealed to Kentuckians to avoid Kennedy’s advice.
“This is a guy who said he snorted cocaine off of dirty toilet seats. That is not hygienic,” Beshear said, referencing remarks made by Kennedy on “This Past Weekend,” the podcast of comedian Theo Von.
“Don't follow his advice,” Beshear continued. “We've had more cases of measles this year than the last 32 years of our commonwealth put together. This is an atrocity for the first time in my lifetime.”
As of Thursday, the Kentucky Department of Public Health has reported 197 cases and 11 hospitalizations since July, including 51 this month and 96 in September. Four other cases were reported in Jessamine County in January, putting the statewide count at 201 since the beginning of 2026.
That’s the largest outbreak since 1991, according to state health officials. The highest concentration of cases have been in Christian, Trigg and Laurel counties. Laurel County in particular has reported a rapid increase in cases since late August, with 56 reported.
Nearly every case has been reported in unvaccinated individuals or those whose vaccination status is unknown.
Children younger than five are considered most at risk for the contagious disease. But as of Thursday, 84 of the reported cases in Kentucky have been in children ages five to 17, and 94 in adults.
High fever, cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes and rashes can all be measles symptoms. If exposed, health officials recommend watching for symptoms for 21 days, and contacting your health care provider if they develop.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine can protect you against the measles.
“It's safe and it works,” Beshear said at the Thursday briefing. “It virtually eliminated the most contagious disease known to mankind. I mean, we had eliminated measles, for all practical purposes, in the United States until this recent foolishness.”
