First measles case found in Colorado
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) – Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, states, 'Measles is actually the most transmissible infectious disease that we know of. It's much more infectious than other infectious diseases that we see more commonly and have come to know over the last couple of years. So much more infectious than COVID-19, much more infectious than influenza.'
On Monday, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment announced that the Centennial State has spotted its first measles case in Pueblo.
Randy Evetts, public health director for Pueblo, states, 'The good news is that this individual has not traveled outside of Pueblo, and so we believe it is limited to Pueblo.'
According to the CDPHE, the case comes from an unvaccinated Colorado adult who traveled to an area of Mexico experiencing an ongoing measles outbreak.
Evetts says there are no other active cases so far, but there is high lookout for the sickness not to spread. But there are ways to prevent the spread if it were to hit Mesa County.
Kathlen Satterfield, supervisor epidemiologist for Mesa County Public Health, states, 'So the best prevention for measles is the MMR vaccine. It's proven safe and effective. That stands for measles, mumps and rubella, and we have the MMR vaccine available at the Mesa County Public Health clinic here at the Community Services building.'
Satterfield tells WesternSlopeNow if the cases were to hit the Western Slope, Mesa County of Public Health would make an announcement to the community.
Satterfield and CDPHE officials say the vaccine is 97% effective and for parents with infant children that are under the age of five. But if you got your vaccine between 1963-67, it is recommended to get another dose, while those born before 1957 are immuned.
Dr. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer for CDPHE, states 'Because measles is so infectious, we want to make sure that people get the care they need as early as they can, and we want to make sure that we protect anyone else from being exposed.'
But if you were to be exposed, there is another way to make sure you don't have the sickness.
'If you go to your health care provider to be tested for measles, they will perform either a nasal swab or an oral swab and that swab will be sent to the state health department for further testing. But you can go to your provider for testing,' Satterfield said.
Herlihy says it hasn't been confirmed yet, but it is a possibility that these measles cases are connected to the ones in New Mexico and Texas.
CDPHE states people exposed to measles typically develop symptoms seven to 21 days after exposure.
Symptoms include fever, cough, a runny nose, red eyes and a characteristic rash. Which usually starts several days later on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body. And the sickness can stay up to two hours in the air.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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