SALT LAKE CITY — More than 60 Utah residents have now been diagnosed with the measles, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
The department’s dashboard, which was updated Friday afternoon, reports a total of 64 cases of measles across the state.
Health officials said there have been seven new confirmed cases in the past three weeks.
On Friday, the Utah County Health Department announced that a new case had been confirmed in its district.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases, spreading through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms can include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a characteristic rash that spreads over the body. People who are not vaccinated are at the greatest risk.
Public health officials in Utah say they are taking necessary measures to limit further spread
“We appreciate the cooperation of community members who have answered our calls, worked closely with our disease investigators, been tested when recommended, and followed isolation guidance,” said Eric Edwards, executive director at the Utah County Health Department, in a statement. “These efforts are critical to protecting others and preventing additional cases.”
The most recent case brings the Utah County health district’s total to eight, according to data on the Utah Department of Health and Human Services website. Utah’s southwest health district has the state’s highest number of measles cases, with 49 cases.
The Salt Lake County Health Department reported its first “probable” case of measles on Wednesday, but officials had been unable to confirm the diagnosis because the patient declined to participate in the investigation, a press release stated.
Utah’s spike in measles cases comes amid a national outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control reports a total of 1,648 confirmed cases throughout the United States.
Public health officials urge those who suspect they may have been exposed to measles to contact their health care provider immediately.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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