Colorado reports measles case in Pueblo resident

Colorado reported its first case of measles in a state resident in two years on Monday, but the infection is not tied to the ongoing outbreak that started in Texas.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the new infection is in an adult from Pueblo who had recently traveled to an area in Mexico with a measles outbreak. The state said the person is unvaccinated.

CDPHE said people who had been at two specific locations in Pueblo two weeks ago may have been exposed to measles. Those locations are:

The Southwest Deli and Cafe, 1873 S. Pueblo Blvd., on the dates of Monday, March 17, through Friday, March 21.
Southern Colorado Clinic, 109 South Burlington Dr., on Saturday, March 22, between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

People who were at those locations during those dates and times should monitor for symptoms of the virus and consider avoiding public gatherings for 21 days after their date of exposure. This is especially true for people who are not vaccinated against measles.

If people who were possibly exposed develop symptoms, they should call their doctor immediately — or an urgent care or emergency department if they don’t have a primary doctor.

A CDPHE official also encouraged all Coloradans who are eligible and who are unvaccinated against measles to consider getting the vaccine.

“Measles is one of the most contagious diseases we know, but it is also highly preventable,” Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist, said in a statement. “The MMR vaccine provides excellent protection and helps prevent outbreaks like the one we are seeing globally. We urge Coloradans to review their vaccination status and take steps to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”

Measles had been declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, but it continued to circulate in other parts of the world. As a result, it is not uncommon for Colorado every couple years or so to see an infection in a resident who had traveled abroad.

The last case of measles reported in Colorado was in 2023.

But state health authorities have been on alert for possible new measles cases in Colorado related to an outbreak that originated in Texas and has now spread to other states, including New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. Fueled by that outbreak, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported nearly 500 cases of measles in the country so far this year.

Symptoms of measles start out about one to three weeks after exposure as fever, cough, runny nose and/or red eyes. Tiny white spots then may appear on the inside of the mouth, followed by the telltale rash of flat, red spots. The most severe infections, most commonly in children, can lead to pneumonia, swelling of the brain and death.

The CDC and other health organizations advise that vaccination — which is 97% effective with two doses of the MMR vaccine — is the best prevention strategy.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, has touted vitamin A as a treatment for the disease. And while it does have a role — especially in treating those with a vitamin A deficiency — it is not considered a preventive therapy and taking too much can be toxic.