Last month, a measles outbreak in Texas raised concerns that declining vaccination rates might make the country susceptible to a disease once thought to be eliminated from the country.
146 people in West Texas, many congregants of a local Mennonite community, have contracted the disease — despite a widely-available measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The California Department of Public Health has thus far this year confirmed three cases of measles throughout the state. Last week, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health reported a case of an infected person flying through LAX in Los Angeles.
In 2023, there were only four confirmed cases in the state through the entire calendar year.
According to the CDPH, measles is a “highly contagious viral disease” that is “widespread in many parts of the world, including Europe, Africa and Asia.” A measles infection typically begins with a brief fever followed by coughing, runny nose, conjunctivitis and the disease’s signature rash. That rash “typically appears first on the face, along the hairline, and behind the ears” before radiating to the rest of the body. The disease is contagious roughly four days before the appearance of a rash and about four days after.
“While high levels of immunity in the general population ultimately limit measles outbreaks,” the CDPH website reads. “measles readily spreads in communities and social networks with lower coverage.”
Those communities include rural communities like West Texas — and might make Humboldt County more vulnerable than other portions of the state.
Many Humboldt County schools have less-than stellar immunization rates, according to the CDPH, particularly among charter school students. The department’s most recent data, from the 2021-22 school year, shows Alder Grove Charter School 2 in Eureka had only a 56.3% rate of MMR vaccination among kindergarten students. Coastal Grove Charter in Arcata boasted an 84.6% rate; Pacific Union and Arcata Elementary, by contrast, had 98% and 95% rates of MMR vaccination at the kindergarten level.
“Unvaccinated individuals are primarily at risk. Because the vaccine is so effective, if you and most of the people that you associate with are vaccinated, your risk is very low,” DHHS spokesperson Christine Messinger said in an email. “If you are unvaccinated, your risk is higher, and it becomes even higher if most of the people you spend time with are also unvaccinated. If you’ve opted not to be vaccinated or to get your children vaccinated because you didn’t think you were likely to be exposed, but you would want to get vaccinated if there were cases locally, check with your health care provider and/or pharmacy to find out what you need to do to get vaccinated in the event of a local outbreak so you can be prepared.”
This week, the Yurok Tribe issued a statement on social media addressing the highly transmissible virus.
“Yurok Tribal Health & Wellness is issuing an urgent health advisory regarding a measles outbreak affecting our region (California),” the statement read. “As of March 4, 2025, confirmed cases of measles have been reported, and we are taking proactive steps to protect our community.”
Humboldt County has not experienced cases of measles this year, according to DHHS, but the county is prepared for the eventuality of an outbreak and urges residents to do their part, as well.
“Public Health staff regularly prepare for the possibility of a local measles case or outbreak,” Messinger said. “We saw this last June when we had a single case of measles in the county. When this happens, we work with the patient, family and medical team to trace every person exposed to the individual and verify their immunity status. For anyone who is not immune, we arrange post-exposure prophylaxis. Measles vaccine can be given up to 72 hours after an exposure to provide some protection in people who don’t already have immunity.
“The most important thing individuals can do to help prevent an outbreak in our community is to be vaccinated. If you aren’t vaccinated, or can’t be for medical reasons, then it’s important to be aware of cases in our community so you can take extra precautions. Public Health will use both traditional and social media to notify our community if (and) when there are cases locally.”
Robert Schaulis can be reached at 707-441-0585.
