SALT LAKE CITY – Utah health officials are declaring the end of the measles outbreak in Utah.
Wednesday the Utah Department of Health said the outbreak that infected three residents and exposed hundreds more to the highly contagious virus is no longer putting Utahns at risk.
However, public health officials are continuing to monitor the community because of the ongoing outbreaks in other states.
As of Monday, the CDC reports 133 infected people in seven states were linked to the same outbreak.
UDOH said anyone not fully vaccinated runs the risk of being exposed and beginning another disease outbreak in Utah.
Officials first identified the virus in our state when two children tested positive in January after traveling to Disneyland.
More than 100 people placed themselves under a voluntary quarantine where they watched for symptoms over a 21-day period.
The health department said it gave out almost 600 doses of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine in January alone, a sharp increase from the typical 100 vaccines per month.
Health officials said the measles outbreak cost the department about $115,000; that doesn’t take into account any private health costs.
The Utah Dept. of Health said getting the measles vaccine is a very important line of defense to protect yourself and others.
MORE: Click here for info on measles and vaccinations from UDOH
You can also call the Utah Department of Health Immunization hotline at 1-800-275-0659.
