While the outbreak has largely exploded along the border, cases are also creeping to the north, toward Salt Lake County, which encompasses the city.
Utah County, which sits just south of Salt Lake County, has identified eight cases, including a new case reported today.
Uncooperative case Salt Lake County likely has a new one, too—the first for the county this year—as well as possible exposures.
County health officials said that a health care provider in the area contacted them late on Monday to tell them about a patient who very likely has measles.
However, the patient with the suspected case wouldn’t even share their address with the health officials.
The first probable case found in the Salt Lake City area is refusing to cooperate with health officials, the local health department reported this week, putting a halt to a measles investigation amid a massive, ongoing outbreak at the Arizona-Utah border.
Over 150 cases have been reported in the two states combined, primarily in the southwest health district of Utah and northwestern Mohave County, Arizona, during the last two months. These regions have extremely low vaccination rates: according to state data, only 78.4% of kindergarteners in Mohave County received a measles vaccination during the 2024–2025 school year. In the 2024–2025 school year, only 80.7% of kindergarteners in Utah’s southwest district had measles vaccination records. According to public health experts, a community must have a 95% vaccination rate to prevent the disease from spreading.
Cases are also moving northward, toward Salt Lake County, which includes the city, even though the outbreak has mostly exploded along the border. Eight cases have been found in Utah County, which is located immediately south of Salt Lake County. A new case was reported today.
case of noncooperation.
In addition, Salt Lake County probably has a new one, the first this year, and potential exposures. They are unable to verify it, though.
A local healthcare provider contacted county health officials late Monday to inform them of a patient who most likely has measles, according to the officials. After that, the officials tried to contact the individual for a day, but he or she refused to cooperate or answer any questions. This included not disclosing location data so that others could be alerted that they might have come into contact with one of the most contagious viruses on the planet.
“We will not be able to properly do contact tracing to warn anyone with whom the patient may have had contact, or technically confirm the illness, because the patient has refused to be tested or fully participate in our disease investigation,” stated Dorothy Adams, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, in a statement. However, given the particular symptoms the healthcare provider reported and the scant communication our investigators have had with the patient, it is highly probable that this is a case of measles in a Salt Lake County resident. “.”.
The measles is highly contagious. It spreads through the air and can remain in a room’s airspace for up to two hours after the carrier has left. Ninety percent of those who are not vaccinated will contract the disease if exposed. Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) can be prevented with two doses of the vaccine, which is 97 percent effective and results in lifelong protection.
hazardous patterns.
The Salt Lake Tribune was informed by county health department spokesperson Nicholas Rupp that officials were at least able to alert anyone who might have been exposed at the medical professional’s office. The suspected patient, however, refused to give the medical authorities even their address.
The resurgence of an illness that was previously preventable by vaccination and the rejection of the health officials’ efforts are indicative of a national trend toward mistrust and disregard for public health, as well as the adoption of anti-vaccine rhetoric and disinformation. The confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, a well-known anti-vaccine activist, has only made these trends worse. Kennedy, Jr. as the nation’s leading health official. Some of these trends were sparked by Kennedy’s decades-long efforts to disseminate lethal false information about vaccines that could save lives.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that since the year began, the United States has seen at least 1,648 cases of measles, the most in more than 30 years. In the nation, 43 outbreaks have occurred, accounting for 87% of the cases. At least 41 states have seen outbreaks and cases.
Despite being sporadically brought in by travel-related cases, measles was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, meaning it no longer spreads continuously throughout the nation. If the virus continues to spread over a 12-month period, this elimination status may be revoked. Health professionals anticipate that the US will soon lose its status due to ongoing outbreaks and spread combined with declining vaccination rates. With comparable patterns to the US, Canada is about to be removed from the list this year.
