In The News: Measles Outbreak Update

As of April 25th, 2025 the CDC is reporting a total of 884 confirmed measles cases in 30 states. This information is updated here every Friday.

There have not been any reported measles cases in Wisconsin to date, but with measles spreading in other parts of the country and many people traveling to the state for the NFL Draft (April 23–26), it's important to stay alert. Residents are encouraged to make sure you and your family are up to date on the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine.

Measles has an incubation period of 7-21 days. If anyone was exposed during the draft, we could start seeing measles cases reported in the following weeks.

Read more in our April 16th joint press release:

Is Your Immune System Prepared to Play Defense? Local Health Departments Recommend Checking Your Vaccination Status Against Measles

Measles Facts

• Measles is extremely contagious—if you're not vaccinated and come into contact with it, there's a 9 in 10 chance you may get sick.
• People with measles can spread it to others before they even know they’re sick, especially in the days before and after a rash appears.
• Measles can lead to serious health problems. About 1 in 5 kids who get it need hospitalization. Some develop pneumonia, and in rare cases, it can be deadly.
• The MMR vaccine is very safe and works well. If you’ve had both doses, you’re about 97% protected and very unlikely to get measles.

Debunking Vaccine Myths

You may have heard the myth that vaccines may cause autism. Many studies have been done to test these claims. None has shown that vaccines cause autism. Find out more about the research and how these false claims came to be in this joint publication from the Autism Science Foundation and Immunize.org: Evidence Shows Vaccines Unrelated to Autism

It's okay to have questions about vaccines and vaccine schedules. If you would like to speak to a Public Health Nurse about vaccines, call us at 920-232-3000.

Measles Exposure Guidance

If you become sick or believe you have been exposed, isolate yourself, wear a mask around others, and contact your healthcare provider immediately. This will help staff prepare for your arrival and create a safe environment for everyone.

Climate & Health Action Together (CHAT)

Climate change is not just a future problem for our kids and grandkids. It’s here and it’s affecting the health of all Wisconsinites, some more than others. In response, a group of public health and climate change professionals created Wisconsin Climate & Health Action Together, or CHAT, to expand the conversation on climate and health solutions that can safeguard our health and well-being.

CHAT partners came together to launch their “healthy planet, healthy people” coordinated campaign on Earth Day (April 22) to build broader awareness about the ways climate change impacts our health and what we can do about it.

Ultimately, the goal is for local leaders to meet with community members and make a plan of action that protects the health of our people, economy, and Wisconsin’s special outdoor spaces and traditions.

If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, CHAT is actively inviting new partners to participate in the coordinated awareness campaign. The “healthy people, healthy planet” campaign runs for one year from April 2025–March 2026. Planning for the next community organizing phase will begin this summer.

Please reach out to CHATWisconsin@gmail.com if you would like to get involved, or learn more on the website.

Badger State Housing Alliance - Advocacy Day

Winnebago County Public Health staff have been actively involved in the Badger State Housing Alliance—a statewide group focused on promoting effective and affordable housing policies—since it was formed in 2022. The Alliance brings together partners from a wide range of sectors, including housing providers, nonprofits, funders, developers, government agencies, and advocacy groups—all playing key roles in advancing housing solutions.

A major priority of the Alliance is to raise awareness about the housing needs in our communities and advocate for policies that address housing instability and the shortage of affordable housing. The Alliance's advocacy committee, co-chaired by Lynnsey, planned a day at the capitol in Madison on April 23 to meet with legislators to talk about homelessness prevention, eviction prevention, and policies that would help build more affordable housing. There were 25 housing advocacy attendees from across the state that met with 17 state representatives and senators, most of whom serve on the two housing committees in the legislature.

Housing is a foundation to healthy people and thriving communities, which is why WCPH is committed to housing advocacy.

If you have questions or are interested in getting involved with the Housing Advocacy Committee, please email bsha-advocacy@wphd.org

Housing Resources in the Winnebago County Area

HELP  - Assistance for Winnebago County residents at risk of eviction, losing their home, in need of financial assistance, or case management related to housing.

Coordinated Entry - connects individuals and families to housing resources offered through local agencies. View their brochure 

Appleton Housing Authority

Oshkosh/Winnebago County Housing Authority 

Advocap - Affordable Housing Assistance

Local Homeless Coalition Resources 

Community Resources - Shelters and After Hours Plans

Legal Action of Wisconsin - helps clients find and keep safe and affordable housing, and offers quick reference guides about renters rights and evictions.

Staff Spotlight: Get to Know Lynnsey

How long have you been working at WCPH?

I've been at WCPH for as long as Taylor Swift's 1989 album has been out (I'm not exactly a Swiftie but have many friends who are). The first two years at WCPH I was serving as an AmeriCorps member through the Wisconsin HealthCorps. Through my AmeriCorps experience, I became interested in working on broader community issues and applied for a position with the health department in the Community Health and Prevention division. At first I was working on tobacco prevention, mental health, and suicide prevention. Now I'm a Community Health Strategist focusing on housing policy and systems change, including housing affordability, stability, and homelessness.

Please describe your role:

My job is to make sure the people most impacted by housing challenges are also the ones involved in creating the solutions. I work to understand data and what's happening locally, translate complex policy language into something understandable, and bring people together to change systems that just aren't working. I work with people with lived experience, nonprofits, and other government agencies to make sure policies are truly helpful in making sure people have safe, stable, and affordable housing.

What is one WCPH accomplishment that you feel particularly proud of?

I helped bring $10.3 million in state grant funds to the county and local nonprofits working across the housing spectrum. We used it to fill critical housing gaps and support people who need it most, including helping to build Day By Day's new shelter, adding sober living homes, building Habitat for Humanity homes in Oshkosh and Omro, and creating the HELP (Homelessness, Eviction, and Loss Prevention) program at Human Services.

What project/program/initiative at WCPH are you most excited about right now and why?

I'm really excited about the work we're doing with the Badger State Housing Alliance and the Advocacy Day at the state Capitol we just hosted on April 23 (see more about Advocacy Day above). Much of what we experience with housing locally is determined by policies created and changed at the state level, so our coalition is making sure discussions about housing affordability and stability are front and center with state legislators. There's a lot of power in being able to share your story and ultimately our goal is to make sure that policy decisions reflect the needs in our community.

What do you love about working at WCPH?

Public health at the local government level is important because we have staff who work directly with residents, families, businesses, and organizations to prevent disease, connect with resources, and improve outcomes, and we have staff who work to address and prevent larger community issues including housing instability, substance use, poverty, and childhood trauma. So many of the issues people face in our communities are public health issues, and I'm able to use my experience with policy to try to make a difference.

What do you want the community to know about you and your role at WCPH?

"I'm here to build trusting relationships to work alongside the community to advocate for changes that make life better for everyone."

What's an interesting/fun fact about you?

• I have a knack for spotting wildlife. I'm a bird nerd, and I particularly love loons.
• I have a goal to hike in every state and national park. I'm about a third of the way there and my favorites so far are Newport State Park and North Cascades National Park.
• I have a lot of houseplants. If anyone wants a baby aloe vera plant, let me know (seriously, please let me know!)
• 
  

Presenting the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)

WCPH is pleased to present the 2025 Community Health Improvement Plan, or CHIP. The CHIP is guided by the Community Health Assessment (CHA), which was unveiled in December 2023. The CHA identifies critical community health needs through data collection and analysis, and the CHIP designates the priorities, goals, and strategies to improve community health.

The CHIP is a collaborative effort that involves community member participation. The top three priorities identified by our collaborative work groups are:

• Housing For All
• Basic Needs
• Comprehensive Approach to Well-Being



Learn more about the process, priorities, and implementation goals in the full report.

Presenting the Winnebago County Public Health 2024 Annual Report

The 2024 Winnebago County Public Health Annual Report is here! Our annual report is a snapshot of the work our department completed in 2024. Some of our highlighted achievements include:

• Providing 24/7 access to free community resources. We installed two outdoor public health vending machines that contain Narcan, Fentanyl test strips, gun locks, Deterra drug deactivation bags, hygiene kits, and more.
• Improved access to routine vaccines for children. We secured the Routine Immunization Community Engagement (RICE) grant which allowed us to increase outreach, provide offsite clinics, and translate our materials into several languages. In 2024 we more than doubled our impact, delivering 584 routine vaccinations to children and adolescents, up from 262 in 2023.
• Building and maintaining relationships with community partners. We launched a Community Health Advisory Team (CoHAT) to help drive the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh to support the new Hyde Community Center, and worked with partners to bring Victim Crisis Response services to our county - just a few examples of how we’re strengthening community health through collaboration.

Communicable Disease Report - First Quarter

The Quarterly Communicable Disease (CD) Report provides timely data for the community and healthcare partners on diseases that are present and occurring in Winnebago County. Tracking this data helps detect, prevent, and control illness and outbreaks in the community. Find previous CD Reports here.

Questions? Contact Winnebago County Public Health at 920-232-3000 or by emailing WCPH.CD@winnebagocountywi.gov.