We strongly encourage at least 1 dose of MMR for all people older than 1 year of age, even if they have not been exposed to someone with measles.

Should your infant younger than 12 months old get an early, extra dose?

We consider the risk for measles to the general public to be low since Utah has only a small number of measles cases and it is not spreading in the general community. As a result, we don't recommend early vaccination for all infants in Utah at this time. However, if any county in Utah is found to have transmission levels that put unvaccinated infants at risk, Utah DHHS will contact healthcare providers to recommend an early, extra MMR dose for infants who live in or are planning travel to that county. As of August 26, 2025, the only county that meets these criteria is Washington County.

Infants who are 6 to 11 months of age should get an early, extra dose if they are traveling internationally, on domestic flights, or to areas in the U.S. where measles is actively spreading. Talk to your child’s doctor about getting an early dose if you plan to travel to any of these areas. Any infant who gets a dose before 12 months old will need to get 2 later doses in accordance with the standard vaccination schedule at 12–15 months and then a dose at 4–6 years.

Should your child 12 months or older get their second dose before the age of 4?

Young children can get their second MMR dose before 4 years old. The protection after 1 dose is very good, so at this time the Utah Department of Health and Human Services is not recommending giving an early second dose of MMR. Parents who are concerned should discuss this option with their doctor.

Not if you are up-to-date with your measles vaccinations. Most people born after 1957 need 2 doses of the MMR vaccine to be fully protected against measles.

Talk to a healthcare provider about getting another dose of the MMR vaccine if you were born after 1957 or vaccinated before 1968. The majority of people born before 1957 are likely to have been infected with measles and therefore are presumed to be protected. Some people who were vaccinated between the years 1963 and 1967 got a less effective vaccine, which means they can still get measles. Anyone who got this vaccine is considered unvaccinated. Talk to your doctor about whether you should get revaccinated if you were vaccinated between 1963 and 1967.

We recommend everyone make sure you are protected against measles.

You are considered to be protected against measles if at least 1 of the following applies to you:

• You have a written record of your vaccine history and it shows you are up-to-date on the number of doses you need for your age.
  • You are considered up-to-date with 1 dose of MMR vaccine if you are:
    • Preschool aged (older than 12 months but not in kindergarten yet).
    • An adult who is NOT in high school, college, or another post-high school educational institution, NOT a healthcare worker, and NOT traveling internationally or to a place with an active measles travel advisory.
    • Age 6 to 12 months AND traveling internationally, on domestic flights, or to areas in the U.S. where measles is actively spreading.
  • You are considered up-to date with 2 doses of MMR vaccine (separated by 28 days) if you are:
    • In kindergarten through grade 12.
    • Attending college or another post-high school educational institution.
    • A healthcare worker.
    • Older than 12 months AND traveling internationally, on domestic flights, or to areas in the U.S. where measles is actively spreading.
• You have lab results that show enough measles antibodies in your blood (laboratory evidence of immunity).
• You have lab results that show you have had a measles infection in the past.
  • Verbal history of measles does not count.
• You were born before 1957 (people born before 1957 most likely had measles in the past and are considered immune).

Talk to a doctor if you have questions about whether you are protected against measles.

Most states look at how many kindergarten students have an exemption for the measles vaccine to measure measles vaccination rates. 

During the 2024/2025 school year: 

• About 10% of in-person kindergarten students in Utah had an exemption for the MMR vaccine or were missing documentation to show they were vaccinated against measles. 
• 9.0% of in-person kindergarten students in Utah had an exemption to any school-required vaccine. 
• 10.1% of all students in Utah had an exemption to any school-required vaccine, including students in online schools. 

You can look up the immunization coverage rates for children in Utah on the Utah Statistics page of the immunization program website. The immunization dashboard school vaccine exemption tab contains statewide and school-specific immunization data. You can also find reports that show trends in school vaccine exemptions for the past 10 years.

To avoid the chance of measles infection for unvaccinated individuals we recommend the following:

• Surround yourself with other vaccinated persons, especially in your household, if possible.
• If you’re exposed to someone who has the measles, talk to a doctor about post-exposure vaccination or medication.
• Avoid large gatherings and crowded places in areas with known outbreaks and ongoing transmission.
• Consider getting the MMR vaccine at least 1 month before you try to get pregnant, to avoid harm to your baby during pregnancy.
• Stay away from others if they are sick.

If you think you or your child may have measles, we recommend you:

• Stay home and away from others as much as possible.
• Seek care if you have a hard time breathing and/or fever won’t come down.
• Call the clinic or provider ahead of time and let them know you are concerned about measles; this is to protect other people from getting exposed in the waiting area, such as pregnant women and babies.

• Utah DHHS—Frequently asked questions about measles
• Utah DHHS—Measles one-page fact sheet

• On May 23, 2025, Utah DHHS was notified of someone who had measles traveled to Utah on their way to another state. Anyone who could have been exposed by this traveler was notified. There have been no reports of anyone who became infected with measles after coming into contact with this traveler.
• On June 2, 2025, Utah DHHS was notified of a second person who traveled to southwestern Utah while they were infectious with measles on May 26 and 27. While in southwestern Utah, this person visited a few public locations. Utah DHHS and local health departments are working to notify those who may have had contact with the person.

We expect to see more travelers with measles coming to Utah as measles continues to spread in the United States. Utah DHHS will continue to update this webpage with new exposure situations when they happen. Our goal is to give people the information they need to make health decisions. Vaccination continues to be the best protection against measles.