By Dr. Barbra Villona, Thurston County Health Officer
Measles remains a serious public health concern in Washington and nationwide. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed 29 measles cases this year.
The 29 measles cases reported during the first two months of 2026 are already more than double the 12 cases reported statewide in all of 2025. More than half of the measles cases reported in Washington in 2026 are linked to an outbreak with three or more related cases. By contrast, there were no outbreaks of measles reported in 2025.
Nearly 80% of reported cases in Washington this year are in children, including 16 cases among kids ages 5-17 and 6 cases in children younger than 5. Confirmed cases have been identified in Snohomish County (14 cases), Clark County (8 cases), Stevens County (3 cases), Grant County (2 cases), Spokane (1 case), and Kittitas County (1 case). All measles cases have occurred in people who are unvaccinated (26 cases) or whose vaccine status is unknown (3 cases) (WA DOH). See the Washington School Immunization Data Dashboard for more information on school immunization rates.
For Thurston County’s most recent measles guidance shared through our health advisories on our webpage: www.thurstoncountywa.gov/health-advisories. Learn more at www.thurstoncountywa.gov/measles
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