Utah health officials have now reported 31 cases of measles statewide, nearly triple the number reported in July — but officials say the official tally likely doesn’t account for everyone who has contracted the virus statewide.
Cases have been confirmed in three of the state’s local health districts, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. However, wastewater testing indicates measles has likely spread to more parts of the state.
Of the 31 official cases of measles in Utah, seven were reported in Utah County, three in Southeast Utah (encompassing Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties) and 21 in Southwest Utah (Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane and Washington counties.)
Within the past month, two of those districts — Utah County and Southwest Utah — have seen measles in their wastewater. Also, measles was found in the wastewater in five other local health districts:
- Bear River (Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties, in far northern Utah).
- Davis County.
- Salt Lake County.
- Summit County.
- TriCounty (Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah counties, in northeast Utah).
In the most recent wastewater sample, taken Sep. 9, Summit County and Southwest Utah have seen the virus.
Read more at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.