The Summit County Department of Health believes at least one person living in or traveling through northern Summit County recently had measles.
A sample taken from Coalville’s wastewater treatment plant Aug. 26 tested positive for the highly infectious airborne virus, according to a Summit County press release Sept. 4.
County epidemiologist Nancy Porter says the test only says whether measles is in the wastewater. But it can’t tell health officials how many people may have been sick, who they are or where they live.
No cases of measles had been reported in Summit County as of Sept. 4.
It takes about one week to collect and analyze samples, and the county said it would share the results of this week’s follow-up test once it is available.
According to the Utah Department of Health & Human Services, there were 15 reported cases of measles statewide as of Sept. 3, and all were in Utah and Washington counties.
Summit County says measles testing has been ongoing throughout the summer at the Coalville and Snyderville Basin wastewater treatment plants.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention say measles is highly contagious, but preventable with two doses of the childhood measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Symptoms include a high fever, rash, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. More severe complications are most common in children 5 or younger.
Measles was declared “eliminated” in the United States in 2000. Recent research suggests reduced childhood vaccination rates during and after the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to a resurgence in the virus.
