Health department confirms three additional measles cases amid outbreak
Published 5:34 pm Wednesday, January 28, 2026
EVERETT — The Snohomish County Health Department confirmed three additional measles cases, bringing the total number in the county to six amid a measles outbreak.
The three cases are all among unvaccinated children. Two of the cases were in a family already isolating due to a positive measles case in a sibling. No exposure sites were linked to the two cases.
The department confirmed the latest case Tuesday in a child who would have been infectious while attending an afternoon service at Slavic Christian Church Awakening in Mukilteo on Jan. 18.
The measles virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after someone with measles leaves the area. Anyone who was at Slavic Christian Church Awakening from 2-6 p.m. on Jan. 18 could have been exposed to the virus.
On Jan. 8, the health department announced three confirmed measles cases in a family visiting from South Carolina over the holidays. On Jan. 15, the health department declared a measles outbreak after confirming three additional cases.
While the latest case could have been related to the exposures in South Carolina, it could be related to a previously undiagnosed case, Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. James Lewis said in a press release Wednesday.
“The timing makes either a possibility,” he said.
On Jan. 20, the county health department announced new interim measles vaccine recommendations for people who live or spend time in Snohomish County. Children typically receive the first dose at 12 to 15 months and a second dose at 4 to 6 years old. The state now recommends that people receive a second dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as soon as they are eligible, which is 28 days after the first dose. If the person received the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine, they are eligible for a second dose three months after the first dose.
Close to 90% of the county’s population is immune from measles through the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, Lewis said in an interview Wednesday. Health officials are urging residents to check if they’ve received the measles vaccine.
Two doses of the vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles, according to health officials. The protection lasts a lifetime.
“If you’re immune, you can really go about your life as normal,” Lewis said in the interview. “But if you don’t know, or you’re not immune and you know that, then you should really be thinking twice about your activities of daily living.”
People born before 1957 and people who have previously had measles are considered immune.
As of Tuesday, the South Carolina Health Department had confirmed nearly 800 measles cases, making it the largest outbreak since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.
It’s difficult to predict how widespread the outbreak in Snohomish County will become, Lewis said. The next two to three weeks will be telling, he said.
“I’ll be very happily surprised if we get away with less than 20 cases, but it could certainly be much bigger than that,” he said. “I do think there are cases we don’t know about.”
Measles is highly contagious. If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people will become infected if they aren’t vaccinated, according to health officials. Measles is contagious from about four to five days before a rash appears to four days after the rash appears. The incubation period for measles is 7 to 21 days from exposure to onset of symptoms.
The minimum length of a measles outbreak is two incubation periods, or about two months, Lewis said. He said it’s hard to tell how long this outbreak will last. The length of the outbreak and the number of cases depend on the activity of people who don’t know they have measles, Lewis said.
“If they’re sick and they’re still going to the grocery store and going to school and going to work, then we could have a big outbreak on our hands,” he said. “If, when people get sick, they’re staying at home and staying away from others, then it can fizzle out.”
Much of the health department’s work in the last two weeks has focused on contact tracing and checking in with people who may have been exposed to measles and aren’t immune. The department has also been working with local health care organizations to prepare to treat measles patients while limiting exposure.
“Our community and the families impacted by this outbreak have been extremely cooperative in taking measures to stop additional spread of measles,” said Carrie Parker, the health department’s assistant director of prevention services, in the release. “Stay home if you are feeling ill, know your immune status and get vaccinated if you can to protect yourself and others.”
Those who think they may have been exposed to measles and aren’t immune should call a health care provider as soon as possible if they develop an illness with a fever or unexplained rash. Limit contact with others and call before going to a clinic or hospital.
Measles symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. It can lead to ear infections, diarrhea and pneumonia. Rarely, it can lead to brain inflammation or death.
Those at the highest risk for complications from measles include infants and children under five years old, adults over 20 years old, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems from medications or underlying disease, according to the health department.
In 2000, measles was declared eliminated from the United States after the measles vaccine was implemented. But cases have increased in recent years, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. In 2025, 2,242 cases were reported to the CDC, the highest level since 1992.
On Friday, The New York Times reported that Dr. Kirk Milhoan — who leads the federal panel that recommends vaccines — said measles vaccines should be optional, along with other vaccines. Currently, students in Washington must receive the measles vaccine to attend school, unless they have a religious or medical exemption. Lewis said he worries statements like Milhoan’s could lead to lower vaccine rates.
“That kind of partisan political approach to vaccines, which is very unfortunate, has already led to decreased vaccine uptake, and we’re not immune to that here in Washington,” he said. “This rhetoric that’s been coming out from the federal government and the changes in recommendations this past year — it’s very concerning to me that that’s going to worsen that trend and make it more significant.”
Lewis said that he agrees with vaccine recommendations coming from the state, the West Coast Health Alliance and the American Academy of Pediatrics. These organizations have maintained their recommendations as the CDC has reduced the number of vaccines routinely recommended for children.
The county and state will continue to update their online dashboards with exposure locations.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
