At least 12 people in Buckingham County have contracted measles, marking Virginia’s first confirmed outbreak this year, according to a May 13 letter to doctors from the Virginia Department of Health.
An outbreak is defined as three or more related cases among non-household members, according to the Health Department website.
Health officials confirmed the first case May 8 in a school-age child in Buckingham County. The child had not traveled recently and was exposed locally, indicating that the virus was already circulating in the community. None of the 12 confirmed patients reported recent travel.
The department did not release any details about the ages of the patients or their vaccination status.
State health officials said the actual number of infections is likely higher than the number confirmed so far.
The Health Department is working with the local healthcare workforce to arrange measles testing at the state laboratory for all symptomatic patients and provide post-exposure prophylaxis, which are vaccines or medications administered within days after exposure to minimize symptoms, according to a spokesperson from the health department.
People older than 6 months who are exposed but not vaccinated can get the vaccine for up to three days after contact with the virus.
Measles is highly contagious and can spread before symptoms begin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Initial symptoms include a cough, fever and runny nose. It takes a few more days before a rash appears on the skin.
There are no antiviral treatments for measles.
State health officials are also working to educate and encourage unvaccinated people in the community to receive two doses of the vaccine.
“We believe declining childhood immunization rates is one factor contributing to the spread of measles,” said Logan Anderson, public information officer with the Health Department.
Most daycare centers and public and private schools require a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine series, administered between the ages of 12 to 15 months and a second dose at 4 to 6 years old.
Virginia allows two possible vaccination exemptions: medical exemptions signed by a doctor and religious exemptions.
About 86% of Buckingham County residents are vaccinated against measles compared to a statewide vaccination rate of 95.6%, according to data on the health department website. Public health experts say vaccination rates generally need to reach about 95% to prevent outbreaks.
MMR vaccine coverage has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. Coverage rates vary by geographic region. Areas with low vaccination rates are vulnerable to the virus spreading quickly, Anderson said.
As of May 13, Virginia has confirmed 35 measles cases in 2026. By comparison, the state reported only five cases throughout all of 2025.
Most infections this year have occurred in children aged 4 and younger.
Measles cases began rising nationally in early 2025 after several years of relatively low infection rates. Experts say rising anti-vaccination rhetoric at the federal level has resulted in a wave of vaccine resistance. Some younger parents who are unaware of the risks associated with measles infections have also become less likely to vaccinate their children.
The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning the virus no longer spread continuously within the country because of widespread vaccination, though isolated cases still occurred.
So far this year, the United States has confirmed 1,842 measles cases nationwide.
