“ADPH is collaborating with local medical providers to identify any other unvaccinated persons who may need to receive the MMR vaccine,” said the statement released Sunday.
Our citizens can protect themselves and others by ensuring that all eligible persons are vaccinated.” The news comes as the nation grapples with the largest surge of measles in many years.
Out of those cases, 137 people were hospitalized and three died; 95% of the patients were unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown.
According to CDC figures, Alabama had no cases in 2024 and 2023.
The CDC classes measles as “the most highly contagious febrile rash illness, infecting up to 90% of susceptible close contacts and resulting in serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and death.”
The investigation, according to information issued by ADPH, is centered in Lee County and involves a single individual “who was not yet eligible for vaccine.”. Children should receive their first dose of the vaccine between the ages of 12 and 15 months, according to the CDC.
In a statement issued on Sunday, ADPH stated that it was working with regional healthcare providers to determine whether any additional unvaccinated individuals might require the MMR vaccine. The risk of an outbreak is currently low because the majority of eligible Alabamans have received the measles vaccination; however, as part of this investigation, some people will need to receive the vaccination. “”.
“The measles vaccine is safe and highly effective in producing lifelong immunity against this potentially deadly disease,” said Dr. Karen Landers, a pediatrician and ADPH chief medical officer. Making sure that everyone who qualifies is vaccinated is one way for our citizens to protect both themselves and others. “”.
The announcement comes as the country struggles with the biggest measles outbreak in a long time. The CDC cautions that “Differing immunization rates among school-aged children and communities with already low vaccination coverage threaten a resurgence of measles, along with its potentially serious associated complications,” even though the United States still enjoys high population immunity from routine MMR vaccination. The disease was declared eradicated in the nation in 2000. “”.
With the exception of the suspected Alabama case that was reported on Sunday, the CDC reported 1,168 confirmed cases in 34 jurisdictions as of Friday, June 5. 95 percent of the patients in those cases were either unvaccinated or had their vaccination status unknown; 137 of them were hospitalized, and three of them passed away.
The CDC reports that Alabama had no cases in 2023 or 2024. It was unclear when Alabama’s last outbreak occurred, but it may have started in 2002 when a baby who had just returned from the Philippines caused roughly a dozen cases at a daycare center, primarily affecting other unvaccinated babies. There had previously been an outbreak in 1989 with 61 cases.
State Health Officer Scott Harris stated in a report released in February 2025 that measles “was once listed among our state’s leading causes of death,” accounting for 13 deaths in 1964 and 41 in 1953.
As the most contagious febrile rash illness, measles can infect up to 90% of susceptible close contacts and cause life-threatening complications like pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death, according to the CDC. “”.
