East Tennessee measles cases tally at least six, but the state’s health department isn’t disclosing which counties those with the virus live in.
Patient confidentiality is the reason, according to Caitlin Newhouse, the Tennessee Department of Health’s medical director of its Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization Program.
“Small numbers of confirmed cases increases the risk of identifying the patients involved,” she said.
There is no specific number of cases at which the department would give additional geographic information, according to Newhouse. She added that the department “reviews each case individually to ensure the protection of our patients.”
The limited details about where the six individuals with measles live is sparking concerns
from some East Tennesseans, who have taken to social media to ask for more information. Some pediatricians’ offices also made posts requesting to know where the cases are.
East Tennessee’s cases, confirmed on the health department's website, make up the majority of the state’s nine measles cases. The remaining three were confirmed in the Memphis-Shelby County region, the mid-Cumberland region and the Nashville-Davidson County region.
The Knoxville-Knox County region has zero cases reported.
Working with regional and local health departments, the state health department traced where the East Tennesseans with the virus have been, according to Newhouse. She added that everyone who has been exposed to the six measles cases has been notified.
“I think we've got a good hold on this outbreak right now,” Newhouse said.
The medical director declined to share how many people were exposed to the six East Tennessee measles cases, but she said department is aware of the number.
MMR vaccination is the key to prevention as cases rise
The best protection from the virus is the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, according to Newhouse, which is administered in two doses.
Of the six people with measles in East Tennessee, Newhouse said five of them did not have either of the two recommended doses of the MMR vaccine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the MMR vaccination rate for the kindergarteners in the state is roughly 94.4% for the 2025-26 school year — below herd immunity status, which is considered to be 95% coverage.
East Tennessee as a whole ranks slightly higher than the state — the average kindergarten MMR immunization level sits at about 95.3% for the 2025-24 school year, according to the state’s most recent Compliance Assessment Report.
The region is led by Grainger County for the same time period, with an MMR immunization rate of 98.7%. Hamblen County falls last, with a 92.5% vaccination rate.
Newhouse said the health department is “not seeing measles circulating widely in the general population.” To prevent the spread, the state supports vaccination events that offer free MMR vaccines for those exposed to the virus.
The department has had “really good uptake” of the vaccine by those exposed to the East Tennessee cases.
“We have a good handle on this particular situation,” she said. “Those people who live in East Tennessee, the average person walking around is still at very low risk of being exposed to measles while they're in Tennessee.”
Lauren Holladay is an accountability reporter through an internship partnership between Knox News and The Media Center at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Email: lhollad1@vols.utk.edu.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: East Tennessee has more measles cases. Health officials won’t say where
