Measles cases rising again

California has already logged 39 measles cases in 2026, the state’s highest total in seven years. (cdph.ca.gov) The California Department of Public Health said that count was current as of April 13, and it already exceeded the state’s 25 cases in all of 2025. Los Angeles-area reporting on April 16 put the statewide total at about 40 cases. (cdph.ca.gov; ktla.com) San Francisco reported its first measles case since 2019 on April 15: an unvaccinated infant younger than 12 months who was exposed during international travel. The city said the child became infectious after returning home and was recovering at home. (sf.gov; kqed.org) Measles spreads through the air and can linger after an infected person leaves a room, which is why health departments move quickly on contact tracing and exposure alerts. California says most U.S. measles cases still begin with international travel. (cdc.gov; cdph.ca.gov) The California uptick is part of a much larger national wave. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the United States had 1,714 confirmed measles cases in 2026 as of its latest update, with 94% tied to outbreaks. (cdc.gov) Utah has become one of the biggest centers of that surge. State-linked reporting said the Utah outbreak had reached at least 583 cases by April 7, and local reports this week put the total above 600. (aha.org; aol.com) California health officials warned in February that cases were rising across multiple counties, then issued another alert in March after new cases appeared in the Sacramento region. By mid-April, Sacramento and Placer counties were at the center of one linked cluster. (cdph.ca.gov; ktla.com) The state’s last larger measles year was 2019, when California recorded 73 confirmed cases. A smaller 2020 outbreak involved five cases, and the first patient in that cluster was also an international traveler. (cdph.ca.gov) The main protection is the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. San Francisco told residents born after 1957 to make sure they have two documented doses or other proof of immunity, and said infants 6 to 11 months old should get an early dose before international travel. (sf.gov; cdc.gov) For now, California’s case count is still far below the biggest outbreaks elsewhere, but the state is back to issuing the kind of travel, vaccination, and exposure warnings it had largely avoided for years. (cdph.ca.gov; cdc.gov)