HARTFORD — The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) announced that it has confirmed a case of measles in an unvaccinated Fairfield County child under the age of 10 on December 11. This is the first case of measles in Connecticut in more than four years. Nationwide, more than 1,800 cases of measles have been reported in 2025 — the most since the virus was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 and the most cases in more than three decades, according to the International Vaccine Access Center.

The child recently traveled internationally and began showing symptoms of measles several days later. Those symptoms included cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, and eventually a rash starting at the head and spreading throughout their body.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can spread quickly through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. According to the CDC, nine out of ten unvaccinated individuals who encounter an infected person will become infected with the measles virus. Measles can be dangerous, especially for children under the age of five. About one in five unvaccinated people in the US who get measles end up being hospitalized.

Symptoms of measles generally begin 7-14 days after exposure to an infected person. A typical case of measles begins with mild to moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes (conjunctivitis), and sore throat. Three to five days after the start of these symptoms, a red or reddish-brown rash appears, usually starting on a person’s face at the hairline and spreading downward to the entire body. At the time the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said, “The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated.” Juthani added, “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93% effective, while two doses are about 97% effective. We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most — children and other vulnerable people — from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination.”

DPH, American Academy of Pediatrics, and several other reputable public health and medical societies recommend all children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12- through 15-months of age, and the second dose at four through six years of age. According to the 2024-2025 Statewide School Immunization Survey, 98.2% of Connecticut students were vaccinated with two doses of MMR by kindergarten entry (compared to 92.5% nationally). Connecticut’s MMR vaccination rate is the highest in the nation.