Measles is spreading among unvaccinated Utahns
Measles has arrived in Utah amid plummeting immunization rates, as parents increasingly seek waivers for "religious" and "personal" reasons.
Why it matters: Measles is extremely contagious and dangerous.
More than 1 in 10 confirmed U.S. patients have been hospitalized this year, the CDC reports — a figure that rises to 1 in 5 for children age 4 and younger.
Driving the news: As of Wednesday, state health officials had confirmed three measles cases in two counties, marking the state's first infections since 2017.
Two are in Utah County and one is in the Southwest Utah Health District, which covers Washington, Iron, Kane, Beaver and Garfield counties.
All three patients are unvaccinated and did not contract measles from each other.
Between the lines: The first Utah patient, reported last week in Utah County, had not left the state recently, meaning they were infected by at least one other carrier here.
Health officials have not said whether the two newest patients had traveled recently.
The big picture: The CDC reports Utah had the nation's third highest rate of immunization waivers for incoming kindergartners in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.
By the numbers: To protect unvaccinated people — infants, for example — herd immunity requires at least 95% of a community be fully vaccinated.
Statewide, just 87% of kindergartners were up to date on all their shots last year, per the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Over 90% of all Utahns have been vaccinated, per state health officials.
Zoom in: Anti-vax sentiments have taken particular hold in southwest Utah, where 81.5% of kindergartners were fully immunized.
Meanwhile, Gov. Spencer Cox appointed a longtime anti-vaccine activist to the state Legislature this year to represent part of Utah County.
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