Measles Cases Rise Among Wasatch High School Students

HEBER CITY — Health officials confirmed on Tuesday that eight cases of measles have been reported among students at Wasatch High School.

Initially, the Wasatch County Health Department reported five confirmed cases, all at Wasatch High, on Monday. They anticipated two additional cases might also be positive, pending test results.

Those two, along with a third, tested positive the following day.

“This brings Wasatch County’s total confirmed cases to eight,” said Lana North, a spokesperson for the department. “The three new cases involve unvaccinated high school students from the county.”

The health department believes individuals in the high school during normal hours on November 14, 17, and 18, as well as those attending a school play on November 15, may have been exposed to the virus.

“A letter providing notification and guidance was sent to families associated with Wasatch High School,” the health department noted in a press release.

Jonelle Fitzgerald, the health department’s director, explained that a wastewater test taken on November 6 had indicated the virus’s presence in the community. “Given the cases in other areas of the state, we weren’t surprised to see cases emerge here,” she added.

This uptick in cases occurs as the total number of measles infections statewide surpasses 100.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services reports a total of 102 measles infections throughout the state.

Leading the count is the Southwest Utah Health District with 74 cases, followed by Utah County with nine, and Wasatch County with its eight cases.

In the past three weeks, 24 people have been diagnosed with measles, according to the dashboard data.

As the holiday season brings families together, health officials caution that measles spreads easily and is highly contagious.

Symptoms of measles typically develop one to three weeks after exposure and include:

• High fever
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red, watery eyes
• A rash that begins on the face and spreads downwards

The Wasatch County Health Department recommends that anyone experiencing symptoms contact their healthcare provider, particularly those who are unvaccinated or have been in contact with confirmed cases.

Health officials also stress the importance of receiving both doses of the MMR vaccine, which they claim is 97% effective at preventing the disease.