COLORADO CITY, Ariz.- A recent measles outbreak in Colorado City has health officials scrambling to contain the second-largest outbreak in Arizona this year, impacting a community still navigating a complex history and recent growth. As of November 17, 2025, the outbreak has prompted public health interventions and raised concerns about vaccination rates within the town.
The outbreak underscores ongoing challenges for Colorado City,a once insular community grappling with a transition from a past dominated by a fundamentalist religious group to a more open and integrated society. The current situation highlights the critical importance of public health infrastructure and community trust in safeguarding residents, notably as the town experiences a period of increased growth and population change.
Colorado City Mayor Howard Reams emphasized the town’s commitment to responsible growth and family protection.”We’re about having growth. That is reasonable. And protecting our families. I mean, that’s why we’re here. … We wanna move forward,” Reams stated.The outbreak follows a period of noticeable change within Colorado City, according to resident Brenda Bradshaw, who observed a shift from a closed-off atmosphere to a more welcoming habitat. “I came down here and it felt like an industrial community, 8 feet walls and nobody looked at anybody. nobody could talk to anyone. And it was a very uneasy feeling,” Bradshaw said. “And now the walls are coming down. People are getting back to reality and socializing. And it’s been fun to see the progress.”
Health officials are working to implement vaccination programs and provide information to residents about the importance of immunization. The outbreak serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of communities with low vaccination coverage and the potential for infectious diseases to spread rapidly.
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
