- Measles cases in the Uinta Basin doubled to 56 in one week, officials report.
- TriCounty Health emphasizes vaccination's importance amid rising cases, especially among unvaccinated children.
- Officials urge informed vaccine decisions and community cooperation to curb the measles outbreak.
VERNAL — As the spread of measles continues to accelerate across the state, the TriCounty Health Department has confirmed that cases have doubled in Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah counties.
The health district now has 56 confirmed measles infections, up from 23 infections last week, the department announced Wednesday.
The increase of cases comes as the state reported on Tuesday that a total of 559 Utahns have been infected by measles since the outbreak began last year — 142 of which have been reported to public health officials in the past three weeks, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services' website.
The TriCounty Health Department says it understands that some people may choose not to vaccinate for various reasons, concerns or beliefs. While the department supports people's right to choose what is best for them and their families, it encourages those unvaccinated to learn both the benefits and risks of vaccines to make informed decisions.
The department thanked families, schools and clinicians for their efforts thus far in keeping vulnerable children protected from the spread of measles.
"Everyone's working together," said Sydnee Lyons, public information officer at TriCounty Health, in a statement. "Our community is going above and beyond in terms of … trying to protect not only themselves, but their community members."
The department's board of health wrote a letter to the community in 2024 warning that outbreaks among school-aged children may occur due to low vaccination rates.
"We express sincere concern that in recent years the topic of childhood vaccinations has become controversial," the board wrote. "We encourage honest discussions about the science, history and health impacts of vaccines. We are confident that the value of vaccinations will be recognized through the health of our residents and/or outbreaks of preventable diseases."
The TriCounty health district is now among the top areas in the state hit the hardest hit by measles behind southwest Utah as well as Utah and Salt Lake counties.
Health officials have repeatedly warned that the disease is highly contagious and the strongest form of protection against measles is the MMR vaccine.
While according to the Utah measles dashboard, vaccination is not a 100% guarantee of protection from measles, and the large majority of the state's cases are among those unvaccinated.
Roughly two-thirds of the measles cases have been in children under 18.
Health officials encourage residents to seek more information about the disease, protective measures and find answers to common questions on the Utah Department of Health and Human Services' website.
