HEBER, Utah — Officials have confirmed 5 cases of Measles in Wasatch County from Wasatch High School students Saturday. Two more cases are still being evaluated.
Officials have also confirmed that one or more of these students did attend school or school activities while infectious during school hours on November 14, 17 and 18 and a school play on Saturday on November 15.
“We did have a wastewater test indicate the presence of measles in the community on November 6, and with cases existing in other parts of the state, we weren’t surprised to see cases here," said health department director Jonelle Fitzgerald. “The cases we have confirmed at the high school are not connected to each other, and because of that, we suspect that other cases may start to pop up in the community."
These are the first confirmed cases of Measles in Wasatch County.
Officials also state that immediate action is being taken to investigate the circumstances and to limit further spread.
Measles vaccine recommendations:
- Children should receive two doses of measles vaccine: one dose at 12 to 15 months of age and another at 4 to 6 years.
- Adults born before 1957 generally do not need to be vaccinated because they are likely already immune to measles due to widespread infection and illness before the measles vaccine became available in 1963.
- Adults who were vaccinated before 1968 should have a second dose because the vaccine used from 1963–1967 was less effective than the current vaccine, which became available in 1968.
- Adults who were vaccinated in 1968 or later are considered fully protected whether they have one or two doses, though certain higher risk groups (college students, healthcare workers, international travelers) should have two doses.
