Estimated 20,000 people possibly exposed to measles at Kentucky religious event

A vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The Kentucky department of health said: ‘Attendees who are unvaccinated are encouraged to seek immunization with the measles vaccine, which is safe and effective.’ Photograph: Lindsey Wasson/Reuters

Around 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at a large religious event in Kentucky, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and said.

In a statement to the Guardian, the CDC said it was “aware of a confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated and contagious individual who attended a large religious gathering in Kentucky on 17 and 18 February.