HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced that it has confirmed a case of measles in an unvaccinated Fairfield County child under the age of 10. This is the first case of measles in Connecticut in more than four years. Nationwide, more than 1,800 cases of measles have been reported in 2025 – the most since the virus was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 and the most cases in more than three decades, according to the International Vaccine Access Center.
The child recently travelled internationally and began showing symptoms of measles several days later. Those symptoms included cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, and eventually a rash starting at the head and spreading throughout their body.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can spread quickly through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. According to the CDC, 9 out of 10 unvaccinated individuals who encounter an infected person will become infected with the measles virus. Measles can be dangerous, especially for children under the age of five. About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the U.S. who get measles end up being hospitalized.
Symptoms of measles generally begin 7-14 days after exposure to an infected person. A typical case of measles begins with mild to moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes (conjunctivitis), and sore throat. Three to five days after the start of these symptoms, a red or reddish-brown rash appears, usually starting on a person’s face at the hairline and spreading downward to the entire body. At the time the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective, while two doses are about 97 percent effective. We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most – children and other vulnerable people – from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination.”
DPH, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and several other reputable public health and medical societies recommend all children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12- through 15-months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. According to the 2024-2025 Statewide School Immunization Survey, 98.2 percent of Connecticut students were vaccinated with 2 doses of MMR by kindergarten entry (compared to 92.5 percent nationally). Connecticut’s MMR vaccination rate is the highest in the nation.
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