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Utah has not seen any new measles cases in the past week, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Utah’s lack of new cases stands out against the rising number of patients nationwide, as outbreaks have hit across the country — particularly in Texas and the Midwest.
Utah’s first verified case was announced June 20. By July 2, the patient count had grown to nine, including one child, two people who were pregnant and two people who were hospitalized and have since released.
None of the nine patients are vaccinated, according to Utah officials.
Throughout the United States, there have been 1,288 confirmed cases in 2025 as of Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases have been reported in 38 states, the CDC’s update said.
That’s more than in any single year since the virus was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. The status, The New York Times reported Wednesday, is given to countries without continuous spread of measles for longer than a year.
The most cases in a year previously was in 2019, The Times wrote, when 1,274 cases were reported, most with ties to an outbreak in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York state.
The country came close to losing its elimination status then, The Times reported, but “with aggressive vaccine mandates, which helped substantially increase childhood immunization rates in the area,” it held on. Experts now fear the country is again at risk of losing that status, The Times reported.
The national vaccinate rate against measles fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, the article said, and has not recovered to above 95%, which the CDC says is necessary for community immunity.
Utah state epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen recommended people who haven’t gotten vaccinated talk seriously with their doctors about their choice.
Typically, infected individuals see symptoms one to two weeks after they are first exposed. These can include a fever over 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit, a cough, runny nose and red eyes. After about four days of fever, people usually start developing a rash. Nolen said it normally starts in patients’ hairlines before spreading across their face and to their bodies.
The MMR vaccine is 97% effective in protecting people against measles when they receive two doses, according to the state department.