University of Utah officials said April 9 that two people on campus have been confirmed to have measles, as the outbreak of the infectious disease continues spreading in the southwest state.
One of the cases was at A. Ray Olpin Student Union and ASUU Offices on April 7 from 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the university said in an alert. That means anyone who was there at the time should monitor for measles symptoms, such as fever and cough, through April 28, it said.
The first case was at the Olpin Student Union and the James Talmage Building on March 24 and March 25, and the Sorenson Molecular Biotech Building on March 24, prompting officials to tell people to watch for measles symptoms through at least April 14.
Unvaccinated people who were exposed are also being told to stay home for 21 days.
Some 97 percent of the university’s student body has received a measles vaccine, according to the university.
“Measles is an illness that spreads very easily from one person to another,” the alert stated. “It is caused by a virus that spreads through the air when a person with measles coughs or sneezes. Measles can cause serious health problems, including pneumonia, brain damage, and death.”
The University of Utah is in Salt Lake City, one of the areas where measles has been actively spreading in recent months.
Utah has recorded 583 cases of measles since mid-2025, including 386 cases in 2026 and 40 cases in the week ending March 28, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Eighty-three percent of individuals who contracted the disease had not received a measles vaccine. Ten percent had. The rest had unknown vaccination status.
“It’s unfortunate that we do have some people who are vaccinated get measles,” Dr. Leisha Nolen, Utah’s state epidemiologist, told a recent news conference. “But we know there is no such thing as a perfect vaccine.”
Officials in Utah, and federal officials, have been encouraging people to take a measles shot if they have not already.
“Measles is preventable, and vaccination remains the most effective way to protect yourself and those around you,” Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on March 2.
The CDC estimates that the measles vaccine is 97 percent effective against measles after two doses.
Nationwide, the number of measles cases so far this year, as of April 2, was up to 1,671, on track to surpass the 2,286 confirmed cases reported to the CDC in 2025, according to the agency. That total was the highest since 1991.