Measles is spreading among unvaccinated Utahns
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Measles has arrived in Utah amid plummeting immunization rates, as parents increasingly seek waivers for "religious" and "personal" reasons.
Why it matters: Measles is extremely contagious and dangerous.
- More than 1 in 10 confirmed U.S. patients have been hospitalized this year, the CDC reports — a figure that rises to 1 in 5 for children age 4 and younger.
Driving the news: As of Wednesday, state health officials had confirmed three measles cases in two counties, marking the state's first infections since 2017.
- Two are in Utah County and one is in the Southwest Utah Health District, which covers Washington, Iron, Kane, Beaver and Garfield counties.
- All three patients are unvaccinated and did not contract measles from each other.
Between the lines: The first Utah patient, reported last week in Utah County, had not left the state recently, meaning they were infected by at least one other carrier here.
- Health officials have not said whether the two newest patients had traveled recently.
The big picture: The CDC reports Utah had the nation's third highest rate of immunization waivers for incoming kindergartners in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.
By the numbers: To protect unvaccinated people — infants, for example — herd immunity requires at least 95% of a community be fully vaccinated.
- Statewide, just 87% of kindergartners were up to date on all their shots last year, per the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
- Over 90% of all Utahns have been vaccinated, per state health officials.
Zoom in: Anti-vax sentiments have taken particular hold in southwest Utah, where 81.5% of kindergartners were fully immunized.
- Meanwhile, Gov. Spencer Cox appointed a longtime anti-vaccine activist to the state Legislature this year to represent part of Utah County.
The latest: As of Wednesday, the Southwest Utah Health Department had not acknowledged its new measles case on its website or social media accounts.
What we're watching: Health officials are still investigating where exposures may have occurred for the two most recent cases.
- The first patient may have exposed people at a hospital and clinic they visited in Orem.