One new measles case in Utah, bringing total cases to 11

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) identified another measles case in Southern Utah, bringing the total number of cases to four in the region.

There are now a total of 11 cases in the beehive state, since the first confirmed measles case was reported on June 20, 2025.

As of Tuesday, the majority of measles cases, that is seven of the 11 cases, have been identified in Utah County. Officials are encouraging the public to get vaccinated against measles, if they aren’t already.

At this time, no additional information has been released on the newest case. However, Utah DHHS has been updating public information each Wednesday.

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 an increase in cases 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.