Utah health officials monitoring potential measles exposure in southwestern Utah

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes SALT LAKE CITY — One day after the state health department confirmed a measles case entered the state last month, health officials on Wednesday said they are "closely watching" another potential measles situation in the southwestern part of Utah. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services said it was notified Monday of an unvaccinated, out-of-state resident who was infectious with measles and traveled to southwestern Utah to visit family on May 26 and 27. "While in southwestern Utah, this person was out in the community and may have exposed others. In addition, we know they visited with unvaccinated individuals," the department said in a statement. The health department said the risk to the general population is low, but it wants to inform the public of the "increased risk of measles in this region and the increasing number of cases in surrounding states." At this point, the department has limited details about who was exposed but is working to provide information and protection to those it can identify. Earlier incident The latest measles case follows closely on the heels of an earlier case that also entered the state last month. The case first came to light Monday during a Summit County Board of Health meeting. The state health department confirmed that the individual was vaccinated, significantly reducing the risk of transmission. "This individual had previously been vaccinated and posed a low risk of infection to others," the department said in a statement Tuesday. On May 19, an international traveler flew from Canada to Salt Lake City and rented a car to drive to southern Idaho. Utah health officials emphasized that the person did not make any stops in Utah before leaving the state. Utah's quiet measles case: What happened and why officials stayed silent Health officials in Utah opted not to notify the public about a measles case that entered the state last month, citing low risk and prior vaccination. During the stay in Idaho, the individual became symptomatic and was diagnosed with measles, and all exposure concerns were in Idaho, according to the department. A few days later, the individual returned to Utah. "On May 23, that same individual came back to Salt Lake, again didn't make any stops but did get on board an airplane while symptomatic," said Derek Moss, Summit County nursing director. The department explained that the individual had been cleared by public health to fly, as they were deemed to have passed their infectious period before boarding. Salt Lake County health officials contacted passengers from the flight and provided resources to prevent infection and said, at this point, no additional measles infections have been reported among exposed passengers. Health officials continue to monitor those who may have been exposed. Measles prevention Wednesday's statement from the state health department said that due to the ongoing spread of measles cases throughout the country, public health and medical providers recommend the MMR vaccine. "Due to the increase in measles spread across North and South America, we encourage Utahns to talk to a pharmacist or health care provider to verify their vaccination status prior to summer travel," reads the statement. Contributing: Shara Park