Measles Investigation Hampered in Salt Lake County by Uncooperative patient
SALT LAKE COUNTY,UT – A measles investigation in Salt Lake county has stalled after a patient suspected of having the virus refused to cooperate wiht health officials,the Salt Lake County Health Department reported this week. The potential case comes as a large measles outbreak continues along the Utah-Arizona border, with over 150 cases reported in the past two months.
the outbreak is concentrated in northwestern Mohave County, Arizona, and the southwest health district of utah. Vaccination rates in both areas are significantly below the 95% coverage public health experts say is needed to prevent spread: 78.4% of kindergartners in Mohave County and 80.7% in the southwest district of Utah had records of measles vaccination for the 2024-2025 school year.
While the majority of cases have been near the border, the outbreak is expanding northward.Utah County, south of Salt Lake County, has identified eight cases, including a new case reported today.
Salt Lake County health officials were contacted late Monday by a healthcare provider regarding a patient with symptoms strongly suggestive of measles. Despite attempts to gather facts, the patient has declined testing and refused to participate in the investigation, including sharing location data needed for contact tracing.
“The patient has declined to be tested, or to fully participate in our disease investigation, so we will not be able to technically confirm the illness or properly do contact tracing to warn anyone with whom the patient may have had contact,” said Dorothy Adams, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, in a statement. “but based on the specific symptoms reported by the healthcare provider and the limited conversation our investigators have had with the patient, this is very likely a case of measles in someone living in Salt Lake county.”
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death. It is preventable with the MMR vaccine.
