Summit County health officials urge vigilance as measles outbreak grows nationwide

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — The Summit County Health Department is advising residents to check their vaccination status and stay alert as a measles outbreak continues to spread across the Southwestern U.S. and internationally.

As of April 24, 2025, there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah, according Utah Epidemiology. The last reported case in the state occurred in March 2023, involving an unvaccinated individual who contracted the virus abroad and did not transmit it to others upon returning to Utah.

Summit County Epidemiologist, Nancy Porter, said this outbreak of measles is of high concern among state and local health officials and those at most risk are the unvaccinated population, since the vaccination has such high efficacy.

“After one dose the vaccination is 93 percent effective and after two that rises to 97 percent,” Porter said.

According to Porter, one gauge of potential portions of the population that would be susceptible to a measles outbreak, is a state-wide database which tracks school immunization rates. According to that data among students in the Park City School District, the percentage of students classified as “exempt” in the current Kindergarten class ranges from 3.4% at McPolin to 15.9% at Weilenmann. At Ecker Hill Middle School the exemption rate is 8.9% among the district’s 7th grade students, which equates to roughly 31 students.

“With this outbreak and nature of our town, which attracts many visitors, it’s not so much and “if” this could affect us, it’s “when,” Porter said, basing her statement off the trend she sees developing nationally.

The outbreak that began in January in the Texas Panhandle has grown into one of the largest in recent years, with 739 confirmed cases across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas as of April 9. The majority of cases are among unvaccinated individuals, and over 70% are children. At least 71 people have been hospitalized and four have died — including two children and two adults, all unvaccinated, according to a Summit County Health Department report.

The outbreak has sparked related measles cases in Canada and Mexico, with Ontario reporting 804 of Canada’s 880 total cases and Mexico seeing at least 378 cases and one death. Meanwhile, an additional 120 U.S. cases have been reported across 28 other states and Washington D.C., mostly among unvaccinated travelers returning from regions with known outbreaks.

Altogether, the U.S. has recorded 859 measles cases in 2025 — more than the annual total in 14 of the past 15 years, with more than half the year still to come. Public health officials continue urging vaccination as the most effective protection against the highly contagious virus.

The Summit County Health Department is encouraging residents to:

• Verify that they and their children are up to date on the MMR vaccine
• Watch for early symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose, and a red, blotchy rash
• Consult a healthcare provider before traveling internationally, particularly to areas with known measles activity

“Measles is highly contagious and preventable with vaccination,” health officials said. “Even without local cases, it’s important to remain vigilant.”

What to Know About Measles: Symptoms, Transmission, and Prevention

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that begins with symptoms like a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. A red rash typically follows, starting on the face and spreading downward. The disease can lead to serious complications such as ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, brain swelling (encephalitis), and even death.

The virus spreads easily through airborne respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes. It can linger in the air for up to two hours, and about 90% of unvaccinated individuals exposed to the virus will become infected.

Vaccination remains the most effective protection. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 93% effective after one dose and about 97% effective after two. Health officials recommend children receive the first dose at 12–15 months old and a second at 4–6 years. Adults vaccinated between 1963 and 1967 with an inactivated measles vaccine are encouraged to receive at least one dose of the current live vaccine, as the earlier version was ineffective.

Those born before 1957 are generally presumed immune due to likely prior exposure, though healthcare workers in that group should still be vaccinated.

For more information on vaccines and measles prevention, visit summitcountyhealth.org.