One new measles case in Utah, bringing total to 10

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah Department of Health and Human Services announced that another individual has been identified with measles, bringing the statewide total to 10.

According to the latest report, this newest case is in an individual in Southwestern Utah, where 2 cases were previously identified. At this time, DHHS has not released any information about the individual’s vaccination status, or where they were infected.

This new case comes after measles was identified in Provo wastewater. The majority of measles cases, that is seven of the 10 cases, have been identified in Utah County. Officials are encouraging the public to get vaccinated against measles, if they aren’t already.

What is measles?

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily through the air through coughing and sneezing. The CDC said those infected won’t see symptoms appear until about a week after infection, and common symptoms include high fever, cough, and a rash.

Tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth two to three days after symptoms begin.

Measles can cause serious health complications, especially for those who are not protected through the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline. They then spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet.

Measles in Utah

Utah has largely been spared from measles cases in the last 10 years. There have only been five confirmed cases since 2015, including three in 2017. However, Utah has had a couple of scares in recent weeks after a passenger with measles traveled through the Salt Lake.

During the 2024/2025 school year, about 10% of in-person kindergarten students in Utah had an exemption for the MMR vaccine or were missing documentation to show they are vaccinated against measles, DHHS noted.

Amelia Salmanson,  the department’s preventable disease manager, notes that the organization has been preparing for measles in Utah for at least a year and have been working to reduce measles transmission outside of the identified households.

“We’ve been working really closely with our local health departments and our clinical partners to develop plans and processes to ensure that the transmission of measles stays ideally within kind of that immediate group,” Salmanson said.