State health officials announced late Monday that they had confirmed a case of measles in a Pueblo resident.
It's Colorado's first confirmed measles case since 2023 and just its third case in the last nine years. It comes amid an alarming rise in measles outbreaks nationwide, including several clusters in west Texas that have caused at least one death of an unvaccinated child. Falling rates of vaccination, fueled by anti-vaccine conspiracy theories like those spread by newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have preceded many of those outbreaks.
In a press release, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the Pueblo case was confirmed in an unvaccinated adult who had "recently traveled to an area of Mexico experiencing an ongoing measles outbreak."
Measles is a highly contagious and often severe disease that causes symptoms including fever, cough and a characteristic rash. Cases in the U.S. plummeted following the introduction of a vaccine in the 1960s, and two doses of the combined measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine provides about 97% protection against infection.
Colorado had the nation's sixth-lowest rate of MMR vaccine coverage for kindergarteners in the 2023-24 school year, with an estimated only 88.3% of kindergarten students vaccinated, according to federal data. State law requires K-12 students to receive the MMR vaccine and five others, but allows for broad exemptions on medical or religious grounds.
"Measles is one of the most contagious diseases we know, but it is also highly preventable," Dr. Rachel Herlihy, Colorado's deputy chief medical officer and state epidemiologist, said in a statement. "The MMR vaccine provides excellent protection and helps prevent outbreaks like the one we are seeing globally. We urge Coloradans to review their vaccination status and take steps to protect themselves, their families, and their communities."
Based on initial information, CDPHE officials say that Pueblo residents who visited the Southwest Deli and Cafe at 1873 S. Pueblo Blvd. between March 17 and March 21, or the Southern Colorado Clinic at 109 South Burlington Drive on the afternoon of March 22, may have been exposed to measles. People who were exposed should monitor for symptoms for at least three weeks after exposure and avoid public gatherings, especially if they are unvaccinated.
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