A disease once considered largely preventable, is making a comeback in parts of Kentucky.

State health officials say a measles outbreak is affecting five counties in western and central Kentucky.

Trigg own Todd and also Washington counties.

They're the ones affected.

We spoke with Doctor Steven Stack, the secretary of the cabinet for Health and Family Services, about the outbreak.

He says lower vaccination rates have left more communities vulnerable to the highly contagious virus.

More from him and today's medical news.

And there's a good chance that there will be more people we announce who are positive for this outbreak.

We're up to 15 people as of today.

And now it involves, five different counties.

So there's a good chance that it could continue to grow.

But, you know, it's hard to predict these things.

To our understanding, what happened is Kentucky residents went to another state for an event, were exposed to that event and then came back home and then developed symptoms here.

So in this case, there's a lower immunization rate in this community, which has allowed the disease to spread more easily.

And hence you see the larger numbers of people who are infected.

So when people first show signs and symptoms of measles, it's usually cough, runny nose and red watery eyes.

Then about after 3 to 5 days, you can show the classic rash.

And that's that sort of bright red strawberry looking rash that's got all these little dots all over your body.

And then the disease can last a period of a week or two as it then subsides and goes away.

The incubation period is about 8 to 12 days, which means that if I have measles and sit right next to you and you're not immunized and you are almost certain to get measles, you probably would not be for eight or more days before you showed.

Cough, runny nose, you know, and watery eyes followed by the other symptoms.

So if someone comes back and has, signs and symptoms of a disease.

We'll often do a confirmatory test.

If the test from the laboratory comes back and says, yes, you have measles, well, then that's a measles case.

But if a person develops measles signs and symptoms who has been exposed directly to people, we've already confirmed have measles.

It may be sufficient without getting a test because they appear to have measles.

And we know they were directly exposed to some of measles.

So there's a set of criteria that they use to determine when is it confirmed versus when is it just suspected.

If we had a case announced today and then we went 21 days or so without a new case, we would probably then say it appears that that particular outbreak or chain of transmission has ended.

There is no real argument among most people in society.

More than 90% of people typically get these immunizations.

There is a growing proportion of society that is currently less than 10% and generally that, have more skepticism.

Unfortunately, because people in positions of leadership and responsibility, I believe are negligently harming the citizenry by confusing them and casting doubt on things that scientists and health care providers don't have doubt about.

I think the biggest lesson is, please get vaccinated, people.

If you get two doses of measles mumps rubella vaccine with 97% certainty, you will never get measles.

You could be a rash, surrounded by a full room full of people with measles.

And for 97% of the time, if you've had two doses of vaccine, you will not get measles.

On the other hand, if you are unvaccinated and you're surrounded by one person with active measles, you almost certainly will get measles.

So is there something we've learned?

Yes, and we've learned it for decades now.

Please get vaccinated.

That's the way you don't get this disease and the way you don't spread it to other people who are vulnerable.

Secretary stack says there were four other confirmed measles cases in the state earlier this year, and those cases were in Jessamine County.