Officials say an unvaccinated, out-of-state resident was infectious when they traveled to the state last week.
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) An example of a measles virus.
St. George • State health officials are monitoring a potential measles outbreak in southwest Utah after learning an out-of-state resident infected with measles visited family in the region and also exposed others to the deadly virus.
Utah Department of Health and Human Services officials sounded the alarm about the measles case Wednesday, two days after being notified that an unvaccinated visitor with the virus traveled to the area on May 26 and 27 where they visited with other unvaccinated individuals in the community.
“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,” state health officials stated in the Wednesday news release.
State and local officials said they could not provide additional details about where the exposure occurred and are still trying to learn more about the incident and who might have been exposed.
In the meantime, they are encouraging anyone with measles-like symptoms to stay home and away from others for four days to lessen the risk to others. They are also directing people with symptoms to call medical facilities and provide staff with advance notice before coming so the hospital or clinic in order to protect other patients from exposure.
The case is the second known possible measles exposure in Utah in recent weeks. A person traveling from Canada with an active measles case landed in Salt Lake City on May 19 and drove to Idaho. They returned to Salt Lake City on May 23 and flew out. The state health department said that there have been “no reports of anyone who became infected with measles after coming into contact with this traveler.”
Measles typically appear between 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus, according to state health officials. Among the more common symptoms are high fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, red or watery eyes and tiny white spots that appear inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek. In addition, a rash with small red spots generally begins three to five days after other signs of the illness are exhibited.
Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases, often leading to hospitalizations and serious illness, according to health officials.
The last reported measles infection in Utah before May was in March 2023, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. At that time, a person who was not vaccinated traveled outside the U.S. and brought measles back to the state, but the department did not believe that anyone else contracted measles from the person.