Officials Rush to Treat 11 Infants Exposed to Measles

Health officials rushed to treat 11 infants that were exposed to measles with a preventative medication that may help them from developing the wildly contagious disease.

The eleven infants — all younger than 1 and therefore too young to be vaccinated against measles — were exposed to the virus when they visited the same Logan clinic as a patient with measles, the Salt Lake Tribute reported.

The exposure came amid an ongoing outbreak of the virulent disease in Utah, which so far has sickened 42 people. The patient was the first confirmed case of measles for the Bear River Health Department, which covers the counties of Box Elder, Cache and Rich, officials said in a Sept. 19 statement. That number has since risen, with four confirmed cases of measles in the Bear River jurisdiction, according to the Utah measles dashboard. The bulk of Utah’s cases had previously been in the southwest portion of the state.

The exposure happened on Monday, Sept. 15, Bear River health director Jordan Mathis told the Tribune. “We had until Sunday to get all those individuals and get them the treatment,” he said. “We definitely had to figure things out on the fly.”

By Friday evening, all the families had been notified; 9 of the 11 babies were able to receive the preventative medication at an impromptu clinic set up by the health department. Two of the babies were referred to an emergency room for treatment.

“I view it as a great flow of communication, collaboration in order to help hopefully reduce the spread of the disease in our community, Mathis told the outlet. 

A representative for Bear River Health Department told the outlet that none of the babies have exhibited symptoms; PEOPLE has reached out for further comment.

The medication given to the infants was a post-exposure prophylactic globulin — which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control explains is “used to provide antibodies for short-term prevention of infectious diseases, including measles.” 

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The medication is helpful for those who are unable to get vaccinated — like the infants who were too young — but Utah health officials stressed that the best way to prevent measles is by getting vaccinated.

The virus brings telltale red skin inflammation, but “measles isn’t just a little rash,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says. “Measles can be dangerous, especially for babies and young children.” Along with a high fever, cough, and runny nose, measles also carries a risk of pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), which can cause hearing loss, cognitive disabilities and death.

According to the most recent update from the CDC, there have been 1,514 confirmed cases of measles this year in the U.S, a 430% increase from 2024, when there were 285 cases.