Outbreaks of measles — a disease normally prevented by vaccinations — are on the rise across Virginia.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Virginia Department of Health, more measles cases have been reported both in Virginia and across the United States in 2024 than were reported in 2023.

In 2024, the agency has detected 167 outbreaks of measles across the country, defining an outbreak as three or more related cases, according to the CDC’s online measles dashboard. 88 of these cases, or 53 percent, had been hospitalized.

In Virginia, 12 outbreaks of measles had been detected as of July 11. By comparison, 58 measles outbreaks were detected across the country last year, with four of these being in Virginia.

Dr. Laurie Forlano, state epidemiologist and director of the office of epidemiology for VDH, said these figures show measles outbreaks returning to levels they had reached prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. She explained that these outbreaks are usually in areas with low vaccine coverage rates.

“That’s where we would get most concerned,” Forlano explained. “Because more people would be susceptible to the disease, it would be easier to transmit. I think it’s really easy to forget how devastating some of these diseases can be. Because of these vaccines and their success, we don’t really see a lot of cases of, say, measles on a day-to-day basis in this country anymore.”

Forlano added that anyone who has not received a measles vaccine is at greater risk of contracting it, similar to other diseases that can be prevented through vaccination — like cholera, polio, or shingles.

“Anyone who is unvaccinated is at greater risk of contracting one of these conditions,” Forlano explained. “Measles is an example. In general, children are usually more susceptible to significant infection because of the size of their bodies. Vulnerable people, where, say, they’re immuno-compromised or something, they would likely be more susceptible to more significant consequences of disease.”

Forlano added that, if someone vulnerable, such as a young child or an immuno-compromised person contract measles, they can develop severe symptoms like pneumonia or encephalitis — swelling of the brain. These severe cases, Forlano said, can lead to hospitalization or even death.

Forlano explained that the main method for tracking outbreaks of measles and other diseases that can be prevented by vaccines is with reports from health practitioners.

“The way we monitor reportable diseases is that health care providers are required to report cases of certain conditions to the health department,” Forlano said. “Measles is one of those conditions. So if a health care provider suspects measles in a patient, measles is particularly highly contagious, so for that one, we expect the health care provider to actually pick up the phone and call us, and that’s what they do. They call their local health department, and we count cases.”

To stop the spread of measles and to be protected against it and other diseases, Forlano said the most important thing to do is stay up to date on vaccinations.

“Staying up to date on all routinely recommended vaccines throughout one’s lifespan is the best way to stay protected against all these vaccine-preventable diseases,” Forlano explained. “For children, specifically, they are required to be vaccinated for school.”

Information about measles and routine vaccinations is available on the Virginia Department of Health website.