Health officials monitoring potential measles exposure in southwestern Utah

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — Public health officials are now monitoring a potential measles exposure in southwestern Utah after an unvaccinated individual visited the area.

On Monday, June 2, Utah health officials said they were notified about a traveler from out-of-state who visited family in southwestern Utah on May 26 and 27. Dr. Leisha Nolen, the state epidemiologist, said when that person returned to their home state, they were diagnosed with measles.

“They were in the southwest while they were in their infectious period, and so we are concerned about a possible transmission in the community,” she said.

Health officials said that while this individual was in southwestern Utah, they were out in the community and may have exposed others. They also visited with unvaccinated individuals.

“While the risk to the general population continues to be low, we want to make the public aware of the increased risk of measles in this region and the increasing number of cases in surrounding states,” officials said.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services said its team has limited details on who was exposed, but it is working on providing information to those it is able to identify.

“We encourage anyone who has measles-like symptoms to stay at home and away from others for at least four days after the rash appears to limit the risk to others in their community. People who have symptoms should call medical facilities and clinics before they go in to make sure the clinic can protect other patients from potentially being exposed to the measles virus,” the department said.

Earlier this week, the Utah DHHS and Salt Lake County Health Department said they were also alerted about an incident where a passenger with measles traveled through the Salt Lake City International Airport in May. That individual was vaccinated and determined to be at low risk of spreading the disease. Health officials have been working to notify those on the flight who may have been in contact with them.

History of measles in southwestern Utah

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, southwestern Utah experienced the largest measles outbreak in the U.S. in 1996, which accounted for 25% of all measles cases reported to the CDC at the time.

Dr. Nolen said that southwestern Utah has lower rates of vaccinations compared to the rest of the state.

“That does give us quite a bit of concern. Vaccination is an amazing tool to prevent this infection. Most Utahns are protected. More than 90% of our population has the vaccine to prevent measles, so most of us are well protected. But unfortunately, there are pockets, and a lot of those are in southwest Utah that are vulnerable to this infection,” Dr. Nolen said.

A Utah immunization report shows that in the 2023-2024 school year, 16.1% of students in the southwest were missing documentation of the MMR vaccine, the highest number in the data. The second most was central Utah with 15.6%.

Dr. Nolen said that this recent incident gives an idea of what can be expected going forward, especially as cases of measles continue to rise around the U.S.

“People travel a lot. Utahns travel a lot. We have a lot of visitors. We should expect we will have people come in who are infectious with measles and might transmit it to our communities,” she said. “This is something that we should all be aware of. We should take whatever protection we can to avoid getting this infection, because it is not minor.”

Measles information

The Utah DHHS said that measles is one of the most contagious diseases. Measles signs and symptoms generally appear about 10-14 days after exposure, with common symptoms including high fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, and white spots in the mouth known as Koplik’s spots. In addition, a rash with small red spots may appear after 3-5 days.

The department said measles can often lead to hospitalizations and serious illness. If one person has it, nine out of ten people around that person may also become infected if they are not protected by immunization or prior illness, according to Utah health officials.

The CDC reports that measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, which is described as an absence of the continuous spread of disease for more than 12 months. But, there have been more cases in recent years.

According to the CDC, there are currently 1,088 confirmed measles cases in the United States, including states that neighbor Utah, such as Colorado and New Mexico. There have been three confirmed deaths from measles in the U.S. in 2025.

With the ongoing spread of measles, health officials said the best protection is the MMR vaccine. If you are unsure if you’ve been vaccinated or need a booster, the Utah Department of Health & Human Services has set up a website where Utahns can request immunization records.