PROVO, Utah — An independent testing program found measles in the wastewater for the Provo area on Friday afternoon, although the case count in the state remains at nine, seven of whom are in Utah County.
As measles can remain detectable for days or even weeks, this means that at some point, at least one person was in the area with Measles before detection.
“Wastewater sampling is a new and useful tool for public health,” said Dr. Leisha Nolen, state epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. “In this case, we know someone had measles in the Provo area around the time the sample was taken. It’s possible these wastewater results simply reflect that person. Information from wastewater will be most useful when it is positive in areas where no one has been identified with measles. When that happens, we will be able to use the data to alert clinicians in those areas to make sure they are aware someone with measles may come in for care.”
Previously, 7 measles cases were confirmed in Utah; all unvaccinated patients
All 3 confirmed measles cases in Utah were unvaccinated
Officials were notified by WastewaterSCAN officials monitoring wastewater for infectious diseases, including measles.
A person who has measles can spread the illness to others even before they have a rash. The risk of getting measles from wastewater is extremely low. Measles virus spreads through the air and close contact with an infected person.
The number of measles cases in Utah is updated every day by 3 p.m. here.
