Key Messages

• Six recent cases of measles have been reported in the Greater Sacramento area.  
• More cases and outbreaks of measles have been confirmed in California  in 2026 than in all of 2025. 
• Measles cases in California have been linked to travel abroad or to South Carolina, where a large outbreak is ongoing and is linked to a current outbreak in the Sacramento region. 
  
• Health care providers should consider measles in persons presenting with a fever, rash, and other symptoms consistent with measles. 
• Prevent the nosocomial spread of measles by promptly instituting airborne precautions and avoiding exposures in waiting rooms (e.g., patients with fever and rash are screened initially in a parked car). 
• Suspected measles cases should be promptly reported to the appropriate local health department (LHD) by telephone, even before laboratory confirmation.   
• Ensure all patients, especially those planning international travel, are up to date on MMR vaccine per CDPH/AAP recommendations.
  

​​Background

In late February, Sacramento County reported a measles case in an unvaccinated toddler who had recently traveled to an area in South Carolina with an ongoing measles outbreak. Placer County then identified measles cases in three siblings from a different household who had direct contact with the toddler. These four cases represent the third outbreak of measles in California in 2026.  

On March 4, a fifth case was reported by Sacramento County to CDPH in a child from the same community who attended an educational en​richment program where as many as 130 children may have been exposed to the child while the child was infectious.  ​

On March 5, Placer County reported a sixth case in another unvaccinated child from a different household within the same community.  

 CDPH is working with county health officials in Placer and Sacramento counties, as well as other counties across the region, to notify people who may have been exposed. The leaders of the educational enrichment program have agreed to voluntarily close the facility temporarily.  

CDPH Recommendations and Prioritization Guidance: 

Suspect measles in patients with:  

• Fever, rash and any of the “3 Cs" – cough, coryza, or conjunctivitis  
• In the prior 3 weeks, any of: attendance at an event or in a location with a known measles exposure or outbreak, international travel, transit through airports, or potential interactions with international visitors at theme parks or other settings in the U.S. ​

Steps for providers to take when patients present with fever and rash:  

• Mask the patient immediately, if possible.  
• Bypass the waiting room: Keep the patient out of common areas or if notified ahead of time, consider evaluating patient outside the office (e.g., in their parked car).  
• Isolate patient immediately, in an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR) if possible. See CDC and CDPH (PDF) infection control guidance. People with measles are contagious from 4 days before rash onset through 4 days after rash onset. 
• All healthcare personnel entering the patient room, regardless of immune status, should use respiratory protection at least as effective as a FIT-tested N95 respirator, per Cal/OSHA requirements. 
• Assess for risk factors and measles immunization status. 
• Promptly telephone the local health department (LHD) to report suspected measles cases, even before laboratory confirmation, to discuss measles testing and control measures. 
• Collect throat or NP swab and urine for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. See Measles testing guidance. PCR is the preferred method for diagnosis and public health laboratories are the preferred setting for testing. Sending samples to commercial labs and not notifying public health of suspect cases can result in significant delays in diagnosis and infection prevention measures. ​