Dozens of people in Arizona and Utah have contracted measles as an outbreak along the border continues to grow.
Over the past two months, Arizona reported more than 30 cases of measles in Mohave County. Another 25 cases have been reported in Southwest Utah.
People in Utah could have been exposed anywhere from a high school to a Chick-fil-A.
Most of those who contracted the disease are children who were not vaccinated, officials said.
Health officials continue to advocate for the MMR vaccine as the most effective means to combat the deadly and highly contagious virus. The shots are reported to be 97% effective, preventing illness and further spread of the disease.
Children are routinely vaccinated for measles at 12 to 15 months and again at 4 to 6 years of age — before going to kindergarten — but children as young as 6 months old can receive the measles vaccine if they are at risk.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, measles causes the following symptoms:
- Pneumonia
- Brain Damage
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Diarrhea
Premature birth or low-birthweight baby (in unvaccinated pregnant women who contract measles during pregnancy)
Measles infection leads to loss of immunity to other deadly diseases
The World Health Organization says that herd immunity against measles can be reached when a community achieves a 95% vaccination rate. U.S. health officials estimate that 92.7% of kindergarten students were vaccinated in the 2023–2024 school year.
