BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — The Oklahoma State Department of Health confirmed no measles cases in Bartlesville.
OSDH said, "Despite today's report, there has not yet been a confirmed case of measles in Oklahoma. We continue to monitor the situation. If there is a confirmed case of measles, the OSDH will notify the public and share information necessary to protect the public's health."
OSDH later said in a statement:
"The individual was negative for measles but positive for having immunity.
There is a process for confirming a case of measles, and that can only be done through the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). While residents may be tested and diagnosed at a health care facility, that facility must work with the OSDH to confirm a positive case. Many factors contribute to having a confirmed positive case. It is important to be aware of what type of test is conducted. If measles is suspected, multiple types of tests can be performed to determine if measles is present or if the individual has immunity to measles." "Health care facilities and schools are encouraged to follow their normal reporting processes to OSDH to ensure timely public health investigations. These processes should be followed prior to any public posting about reportable diseases. The OSDH is monitoring the situation and will notify the public and news media if/when a case is confirmed in Oklahoma. In the meantime, if you receive information about a case that is not directly from the OSDH, please contact us before reporting."
Bartlesville Public Schools said "a staff member at Wayside Elementary School was diagnosed with measles by an Oklahoma hospital. However, the Oklahoma State Department of Health has not been able to confirm that diagnosis."
2 News reached out to the school district and the Oklahoma State Department of Health to clarify the initial alert.
2 News' Isabel Flores got in touch with Granger Meador, executive director of technology and communications at Bartlesville Public Schools.
He said the school district was in contact with OSDH throughout the day to keep them in the loop about the employee.
“We would trust whatever OSDH determines on their end- they’re the ultimate decider for us on that," said Meador.
Bartlesville Public Schools issued a warning after a staffer at an elementary school tested positive at a hospital for measles.
In a post on the district's Facebook page, they said a staffer in Wayside Elementary School tested positive for the measles on March 4, one day after being inside the school. Custodians at that school did complete a deep cleaning and are now going back over as many areas as possible.
Measles is a highly contagious and airborne disease. Most people in the United States have a low risk for contracting it due to a vaccine.
A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015.
CDC deploys 'rapid response' officers to Texas to address the measles outbreak
The school posted about the disease on their website to help inform parents.
The district included specific vaccination rates for their students:
As of March 2025, 92% of the district's students had received 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, 3% had received 1 dose, and the remaining 5% had received no doses or their status was unclear in our database.
What are the signs of measles?
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Watery eyes
- Red blotchy rash starting on the face then spreading to the rest of the body
How do you prevent the measles?
Measles can be prevented by the measles vaccine (usually given in combination with rubella and mumps vaccines, or MMR vaccine), and is recommended for all children at 12 to 15 months of age and again at four to six years of age.
If a person has not received a second dose of the vaccine between four and six years of age, it may be given at any age thereafter. The two doses of vaccine normally provide lifelong immunity.
The Oklahoma State Health Department has more details on the measles—> Fact Sheet
After the hospital's test, the OSDH conducted its own investigation.
In a Facebook post, the organization ruled there is no confirmed measles case and the employee tested positive for "immunity rather than measles."
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