HOLLAND TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Apr. 22, 2026) – The measles are back along the Lakeshore.
On Tuesday, the Ottawa County Department of Public Health reported the first case of the disease in its jurisdictions in 35 years. Officials say that they are working to notify any individuals who may have been exposed, and that there has been no public exposure sites to announce at this point, but no other details as to the identity of the stricken person, the current physical condition of that person, or the circumstances that led to the contraction of this disease, were disclosed.
Last June, a measles case was reported in Allegan County, where a stricken person had frequented areas in both Allegan and Kent Counties, but no other persons then had reportedly come down with the disease. So far in 2026, there have been nine confirmed measles cases in Michigan, with seven in Washtenaw County, and one in Monroe County, and nationally, as of last week, 19 outbreaks involving over 1,600 persons have been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
According to retired Holland-area allergist Dr. Ulf Hierlwimmer, the hesitancy over vaccines that was a by-product of the COVID outbreak has contributed to the return of measles.
For more on the Ottawa County situation, click here.
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