Phoenix area’s 1st measles case of year confirmed by county health officials

PHOENIX – Maricopa County health officials reported the Phoenix area’s first measles case of 2026 on Thursday.

The patient, an adult who lives in the Valley, required hospitalization, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH).

The case is associated with overseas international travel, although the patient was not infectious while traveling.

“Because of the ongoing transmission both in the United States as well as abroad, there is a risk with international travel to be exposed to measles, and so we highly encourage obviously everyone to be vaccinated, but especially if you are having international travel,” Dr. Nick Staab, MCDPH chief medical officer, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Health officials are working to notify anybody who might have been exposed. They declined to disclose the infected person’s vaccination status.

Medical professionals say vaccines are the best way to avoid getting the disease.

“There is no other way to prevent measles as effectively,” Staab said.

MCDPH recommends two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, which is 97% effective, for all children.

Meanwhile, adults who aren’t immunized should get at least one dose.

What are the symptoms of measles?

The virus spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

It is “very easy to catch just by being in the same space is someone who is infectious with measles. You can even be infected with measles up to two hours after the infectious person has left that area,” Staab said.

Symptoms, which typically appear a week or two after exposure, can include a high fever, cough, runny nose, diarrhea, watery eyes and a full-body rash.

Anybody with those symptoms should self-isolate and contact their medical provider for instructions.

How many measles cases does Arizona have?

Arizona had 220 measles cases in 2025, most of them from an outbreak near the Utah border in Mohave County, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Until Thursday’s news out of Maricopa County, the state had three confirmed cases in 2026, all in Mohave County.

In November 2025, MCDPH warned about a potential exposure at the Tate McRae concert at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix and a nearby hotel.

Before that, the disease was confirmed in a person who traveled through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in June.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Bill O’Neil contributed to this report.

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