Summit County Remains at One Measles Case as State Outbreak Expands

Summit County has recorded a single confirmed measles case and, after passing the expected exposure window, county epidemiology staff told the Board of Health they have not identified any secondary cases. The infected student attended South Summit Elementary School in Kamas while infectious and county health officials worked with the South Summit School District to notify families and limit further spread.

Summit County Health Department confirmed the case in a January 10 press release: “The Summit County Health Department received confirmation of a positive measles case in a student at South Summit School District. This is the first identified measles case in Summit County from the current nationwide outbreak.” The press release noted potential exposures on January 5 and included a Spanish translation. A county Health Department spokesperson told regional press that the child who was infected was not vaccinated.

At the Feb. 2 monthly Board of Health meeting, epidemiology staff said, “We have still just the one case.” Officials credited early coordination with schools and families for preventing wider spread and said health department staff have taken immediate action to investigate and limit further transmission. Summit County Health Director Dr. Phil Bondurant emphasized local preparedness and prevention: “Our staff and school district partners have taken proactive measures for months to plan and prepare for our first measles case. We encourage residents and their family members who are not already vaccinated against measles to consider the MMR vaccine, which is the most effective way to protect against measles.”

While Summit County has held steady, the wider Utah outbreak has expanded. Early January dashboard snapshots cited by local outlets showed 176 statewide cases as of Jan. 6 and later reporting summarized 201 cases with a heavy concentration in southwest Utah. A more recent dashboard update cited in local reporting listed 237 Utah residents diagnosed in the current outbreak, including 54 cases identified in the prior three weeks. State reporting also indicated fewer than 20 hospitalizations in early January. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counts included 2,144 confirmed measles cases in 2025 and three in 2026 as of Jan. 7.

Public-health guidance underscores measles’ contagiousness. Symptoms include a cough, high fever, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that begins on the head before spreading to the rest of the body. “People who haven’t received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine have a 90% chance of getting the disease if they are near an infected person,” regional reporting has noted.

For Summit County residents, the immediate takeaway is practical: vaccination remains the primary defense, and anyone with symptoms or exposure concerns should contact their health care provider. County officials say they will continue working with South Summit School District and monitoring the state dashboard, and they advise families to review their immunization status as the outbreak evolves.