Utah’s active measles surge

Utah’s measles outbreak is still accelerating, with 583 confirmed cases since June 2025 and 121 reported in the last three weeks. (abc4.com) The Utah Department of Health and Human Services said 386 of those cases were diagnosed in 2026, after 197 were recorded in 2025. The state’s outbreak page showed 559 cases on March 31 and 142 cases reported in the prior three weeks, underscoring how fast the totals have been rising. (utah.gov; abc4.com) Measles spreads through the air and can linger in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves, according to Utah health officials. Symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after exposure with fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes before the rash appears. (utah.gov; cdc.gov) Utah’s outbreak page says transmission is widespread enough that officials warn there may be exposure sites they do not know about yet. The state has posted public exposure locations in Cache, Iron, Salt Lake, Utah, and Washington counties. (utah.gov) The outbreak began in southwest Utah near the Arizona border and then spread into more populous parts of the state, including Utah County and Salt Lake County. ABC4 reported this week that schools and the University of Utah campus have been added to recent exposure alerts. (kuer.org; abc4.com) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the United States had 1,714 confirmed measles cases as of April 9, 2026, and 94% were linked to outbreaks. Utah was among 33 jurisdictions reporting cases this year. (cdc.gov) Utah News Dispatch reported that about 10% of Utah’s in-person kindergarten students in the 2024-2025 school year either had a measles, mumps, and rubella exemption or were missing documentation. Utah still allows medical, religious, and personal-belief exemptions for school vaccines, though parents must complete an education module or local health consultation to claim one. (utahnewsdispatch.com; immunize.utah.gov) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine for children, with the first at 12 through 15 months and the second at 4 through 6 years. Utah health officials have also told clinicians to discuss an early extra dose for infants 6 through 11 months old who live in Utah or plan to travel there because of undetected community spread. (cdc.gov; utah.gov) State health officials update Utah’s measles counts every Tuesday afternoon and continue to add new exposure sites throughout the week. Anyone who was at a listed location during an exposure window is being told to watch for symptoms for 21 days. (utah.gov)