measles Exposure Reported at Kentucky’s Ark Encounter
Health officials are alerting the public after a suspected case of measles was reported in Northern Kentucky this week. The Northern Kentucky Health Department confirmed an unvaccinated child traveled with out-of-state adults to the Ark Encounter in Grant County on Monday.
Officials beleive the child had measles when visiting the Ark, potentially exposing as many as a thousand or more people. The child also stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Dry Ridge between December 28th and 30th.
Measles is highly contagious and has seen a resurgence in recent years due to declining vaccination rates across the U.S. “When I hear about measles exposure, I think about how measles is the most contagious infection we certainly know of,” says Dr. Tracy Cable, an infectious disease specialist at UC Medical Center.
Symptoms don’t always appear immediately. The incubation period is typically 11 or 12 days, but can extend up to 21 days after exposure. Over 2,000 cases were reported throughout 2025 in the U.S., and this potential outbreak is centered in Grant County, specifically at the Ark Encounter.
“Anywhere between 800 to a couple thousand people were there on the 29th, so we’re trying to reach out to all those people,” explained Skip Tate of the Northern Kentucky Health Department. “That’s a lot of people, and there’s the potential for widespread transmission.”
Measles spreads through the air, remaining airborne for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a room. “If this family sat down at a table to eat and the child coughed, the next family using that table may have been exposed, even without direct contact,” Tate added.
Vaccination is the best protection against measles. “Twenty percent of people who get measles end up in the hospital,” Tate warned. “It can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis, hearing problems, and respiratory issues that can last a lifetime.”
A representative with Ark Encounter released a statement on Friday, saying the attraction’s management is cooperating with the health department.