The Vermont Department of Health said on Tuesday that it has confirmed a case of measles in a school-age child from Lamoille County.
The child, who had recently traveled internationally with family, was evaluated at Copley Hospital in Morrisville on Sunday and has since been isolated, the health department said, calling the threat to the public low.
Those who were at Copley’s emergency department between 3:15 and 6 p.m. on Sunday should confirm they’ve been vaccinated against measles by calling their health care provider or requesting their health records, the health department said.
They should also monitor themselves for symptoms through the end of the month and contact a health care provider from home if they become symptomatic.
“DO NOT go to the doctor’s office, the hospital, or a clinic without first calling to let them know about your symptoms and possible exposure,” a press release said.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause serious illness, especially in young children. Symptoms typically start with a cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a high fever. A spotted rash then breaks out on the head before spreading to the rest of the body.
Roughly one in five people who catch measles will be hospitalized, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new case marks the first in Vermont this year following two in 2024 and one in 2018.
The case is not related to the ongoing measles outbreak in Québec, the health department said. Nor is it connected to outbreaks occurring in and around Texas and New Mexico that have led to more than 250 reported cases and two deaths, including one unvaccinated child.
The news comes amid growing concerns among public health experts about America’s declining vaccination rates. Such fears have only grown in the weeks since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took over as secretary of Health and Human Services.
A well-known vaccine skeptic, Kennedy said at his confirmation hearings that he supports measles immunization and would not discourage anyone from receiving it. But he has been accused of downplaying the seriousness of the Texas outbreak. Rather than urging people to get vaccinated, he has expressed support for unconventional treatments, such as cod liver oil.
Ninety-three percent of schoolchildren have been vaccinated against measles in Vermont, short of the 95 percent that experts say is necessary for herd immunity.
It is unclear whether the recently infected Vermont child was immunized; the health department says it does not disclose such information, citing patient privacy.
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