Measles: border cluster grows
A concentrated measles outbreak continues along the Arizona–Utah border, with Utah reporting 583 confirmed cases overall and 386 so far in 2026 while Arizona has 292 cases — 275 of them in Mohave County. (ksl.com) Health reporters say the regional cluster includes hundreds of recent exposures and that state case totals are already higher in 2026 than last year, underscoring persistent transmission in the Southwest. (arizonadailyindependent.com)
Measles is still spreading along the Arizona–Utah border, with Utah’s outbreak at 583 confirmed cases and Arizona’s at 292. (epi.utah.gov) (arizonadailyindependent.com) Utah’s health department said 386 of its 583 cases were diagnosed in 2026, after 197 were recorded in 2025, and 121 Utah cases were reported in the last three weeks alone. (epi.utah.gov) On the Arizona side, 275 of the state’s 292 cases are in Mohave County, the county that borders southern Utah and includes the Colorado City area. (arizonadailyindependent.com) (mohave.gov) Utah’s outbreak is concentrated in the state’s southwest, where the Utah measles dashboard lists 249 cases in the Southwest Utah health district, the largest total of any local district. (files.epi.utah.gov) Health officials are still posting new exposure notices. Utah Department of Health and Human Services said its exposure-location list was updated April 10, 2026, and warned that unlisted exposures may also have happened because transmission is ongoing. (epi.utah.gov) The virus spreads easily in shared indoor air: Utah said measles can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a location. The state tells people who were at listed sites during the exposure window to watch for symptoms for 21 days. (epi.utah.gov) Schools are now part of the response. Juab School District said April 12 that a student at Juab Junior High School had a confirmed measles case, and Superintendent Kodey Hughes said the district worked with the Central Utah Health Department to identify classes and possible exposures. (ksl.com) Utah’s dashboard shows 383 cases in people younger than 18 and 47 hospitalizations tied to the outbreak. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is 97% effective after two doses, KSL reported, citing health officials. (files.epi.utah.gov) (ksl.com) Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1,714 confirmed measles cases had been reported in the United States in 2026 as of April 9, and 94% were linked to outbreaks. Utah’s total alone accounts for about one-third of that national count, based on those figures. (cdc.gov) (epi.utah.gov) Arizona updates its measles page weekly on Tuesdays at 3 p.m., and Utah updates its statewide count on Tuesdays by 3 p.m. The next official totals will show whether this border outbreak is still climbing as spring travel and school exposures continue. (azdhs.gov) (epi.utah.gov)
