Measles Public Health Emergency - Measles outbreak growing in parts of Arizona and Utah, health officials say
One of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. is now centered in bordering areas of southwestern Utah and Arizona.
In Southwest Utah, all but one of the 23 confirmed cases are among unvaccinated, school-age kids, the Southwest Utah Public Health Department reported. In Mohave County, Arizona, which health officials believe is connected to the Utah outbreak, there have been 42 confirmed cases of the highly contagious virus.
An NBC News investigation, done in collaboration with Stanford University, has found that much of the United States doesnt have the vaccine protection to prevent outbreaks of communicable diseases such as measles.
About 79% of kindergartners in Washington County, Utah, are vaccinated against measles, according to NBC News data. Thats only slightly higher than rates in Gaines County, Texas, the epicenter of the 2025 outbreak earlier this year and well below the 95% level of herd immunity experts say is needed to protect against an outbreak.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/measles-outbreak-utah-arizona-vaccines-data-schools-rcna232399