Utah sees measles vaccination bump as outbreak spreads in nearby states
There have been more U.S. measles cases in three months of 2025 than the whole past year. As of Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 301 confirmed measles cases and two deaths in 15 states amid lower vaccination rates in kindergarten-aged children.
However, Utah hasn’t seen an official measles case this year, Dr. Leisha Nolen, an epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed on Monday.
Most of the cases in the outbreaks happening across the country are in Texas and New Mexico. Each state had a case of a resident who was unvaccinated, tested positive for the virus and died. The overwhelming majority of those affected by the illness in Texas and New Mexico are also unvaccinated, according to the states’ health departments.
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Utah kindergarteners lagged behind the national vaccination average in the 2023-2024 school year. In the whole country, the immunization coverage among kindergarteners was 92.7 percent. In Utah, 88.8 percent of them were vaccinated, according to the CDC. But, it seems those numbers may be going up.
As the virus has spread, Utah has seen an increase in measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates, Jessica Payne another epidemiologist at DHHS said.
“After looking into it this morning, we can say that we have seen an increase in MMR administrations recorded in our immunization registry in the last 2 weeks,” Payne wrote in a statement. “When comparing March 1-15, 2025 to the same period in 2024 we see 19 percent more MMR vaccines administered.”
Measles is an extremely contagious airborne illness. Before a vaccine against it was introduced, it claimed the lives of hundreds of people annually, according to the CDC. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97 percent successful at preventing measles, and one dose is 93 percent effective. However, during outbreaks, it is possible for those fully vaccinated to become infected.
Meanwhile, 90 percent of unvaccinated people who come into contact with measles will get sick, according to DHHS. As the outbreak has spread, the agency has urged Utahns who haven’t received the MMR vaccine to get it. Those who are unsure whether they are vaccinated can check their immunization records or talk to their health care providers.
