DENVER — People at an Arvada sports bar may have been exposed to measles earlier this week, state health officials said Thursday, as the number of confirmed cases tied to an outbreak of the highly contagious disease in Broomfield County continues to grow.
Two additional cases were confirmed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in connection with the outbreak at Broomfield High School and Broomfield Heights Middle School, and public health officials say they’re investigating a possible third. All three are household contacts of a previously confirmed case in the county, a CDPHE spokesperson said in a news release.
The latest exposure occurred at the Bout Time Pub & Grub sports bar, located at 5225 W. 80th Ave in Arvada. People there may have been exposed on Tuesday, March 10, and Wednesday, March 11, between 8 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., according to the CDPHE.
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads through the air and can remain airborne for up to two hours — meaning people may have been exposed even if they were nowhere near the infected person at the time.
State health officials said the latest two cases occurred in unvaccinated individuals who were already in quarantine to prevent the further spread of the disease. The third individual was not in quarantine because they were previously vaccinated, the CDPHE spokesperson said.
“While the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is highly effective, breakthrough cases can occur, especially following prolonged exposure within a household,” the CDPHE official said in a news release. “Breakthrough cases typically experience milder illness and are less likely to spread the virus to others.”
Dozens of students and other staff members from both schools have been instructed to stay home for at least the next three weeks amid the state's first measles outbreak of 2026, though school officials have warned that additional measles cases could prolong the quarantine period for unvaccinated or immunocompromised students.
What to do if you believe you were exposed
Anyone who believes they may have been exposed — especially those who have not been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine — should monitor for symptoms for 21 days and avoid public gatherings or high-risk settings, health officials said in a news release.
State health officials said those who were potentially exposed in connection with this latest case may develop symptoms through Wednesday, April 1.
Symptoms to watch out for include anything from a fever, a cough, a runny nose, and red, watery eyes that develop into a rash that starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body about three to five days after symptoms first start. A person with measles is contagious four days before and four days after the rash appears.
If you were at the location listed above and develop symptoms, you are asked to contact the CDPHE at 720-653-3369 or your local public health agency immediately by phone before trying to seek treatment to avoid other people from becoming potentially infected with the virus. If you do not have a provider, call an urgent care center or emergency department and explain that you may have been exposed to measles.
While most people recover within two or three weeks after contracting the virus, unvaccinated people run the risk of complications from the disease, including ear infections, seizures, pneumonia, immune amnesia, brain damage and ultimately, death.
Measles only spreads from people who show symptoms; it does not spread from people who aren’t feeling sick, state health officials said.
- Denver7 has been closely following confirmed measles cases in Colorado amid a multi-state outbreak in the U.S. that began last year. Explore the map by clicking here or check it out below to see where cases have popped up in 2026:
Unvaccinated people exposed to the virus can get the MMR vaccine 72 hours after exposure (but before symptoms are present) to prevent an infection, according to health officials. Immunoglobulin (IG), if administered within six days of exposure, may also be used in some circumstances, they added.
“Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community,” the CDPHE spokesperson said.
While the two-dose series of the MMR vaccine has a 97% efficacy rate against infection, about 3 in every 100 people can still get infected if exposed to the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccinated individuals will usually develop milder symptoms and are less likely to spread it to others, according to state health officials.
People who got vaccinated against measles before 1968 should talk to their health care provider about possibly getting a booster as the vaccine used before that year wasn't as effective.
As of Thursday, Colorado has reported cases of the virus in Adams (5), Arapahoe (1) and Broomfield (3), and Weld (1) counties. On average, the state sees between zero and two cases each year. Last year, Colorado reported 36 measles cases amid a multi-state outbreak of the virus in the U.S.
Across the country, the number of confirmed measles infections has already topped 1,000. For context, 2026 seen more than half of all measles cases in just two months than it saw in all of 2025.
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