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Kansas City deems measles outbreaks officially over

Kansas City's two measles outbreaks are over, but officials are just starting to calculate the costs of containing them.

The Kansas City Star reports that the city deemed the outbreaks officially over as of Monday, when there had been no new cases in 42 days, or two incubation periods. The city had been combating the highly contagious virus since March.

More than $170,000 in taxpayer resources went to holding the outbreaks to 35 total cases, 22 of which were in Kansas.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says it spent about $46,000 on lab testing, vaccines and staffing costs. That estimate doesn't include costs to maintain Kansas' disease surveillance software.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services can't provide a cost estimate because much is wrapped into the state's ongoing disease surveillance.