The school sits in a county with some of the lowest measles vaccination rates among Utah public school kids, state health data indicates.
(Grace Doerfler | KPCW) Wasatch High School, where five cases of measles were linked last week.
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After five measles cases were linked to one Utah high school last week, state health officials are urging two things of campus parents: Keep unvaccinated children at home, and vaccinate your kids.
The school, Wasatch High, sits in a county with some of the lowest measles vaccination rates among public school kids in the state, according to Utah Department of Health and Human Services data.
According to 2024-25 school year data, for instance, 13% of seventh graders in Wasatch County lacked documentation showing they had received the two-dose measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The guidance for Wasatch High families came in a joint letter Saturday from the Wasatch County School District and the Wasatch County Health Department that disclosed the exposures, which “may” have occurred between Nov. 14 and Nov. 18.
“Measles is highly contagious, spreads easily, and can remain in the air for up to two hours,” the letter reads. “Approximately 9 out of 10 people who are not immune will become infected when exposed. The MMR vaccine is the best way to protect your child and family from measles.”
Any unvaccinated students who may have been exposed were directed in the letter to “stay home from school for 21 days,” which is the measles incubation period.
After that guidance was issued, attendance at the high school Monday wasn’t significantly affected, a district spokesperson told The Salt Lake Tribune in a statement, directing all other questions to the Wasatch County Health Department.
In Utah, K‑12 students must complete two rounds of vaccinations to attend public school: one before kindergarten and another before seventh grade, with different immunizations required at each stage.
However, the law allows parents to request exemptions from all or some of the required vaccinations for medical, religious and personal reasons.
According to the state health department’s website, the exemption rate for kindergarten and seventh grade students has increased “dramatically since the pandemic.” During the 2024-25 school year, 9% of kindergarteners and 9% of seventh graders statewide had exemptions to one or more vaccines.
Wasatch County health officials have noticed the trend, said Lana North, a spokesperson for the county health department.
“What we’re trying to do is just help people understand,” North said. “The biggest recommendation really is the MMR vaccine. And the reason that is is because it’s got about a 97% effectiveness rate, meaning that 97% of time, you’re not going to get sick if you’ve been fully vaccinated.”
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