Measles

Measles Updates and Guidance

February 23, 2026: All community exposure locations connected to the measles case reported on February 2, 2026, are now expired. No additional cases have been identified. There is no ongoing public health risk related to that case.

Community Exposure Locations

This list last updated February 23, 2026

On February 14, 2026, we reported a new measles exposure in Dane County. This exposure is not related to the first reported case. Below is the location where people may have been exposed to measles. If more sites are identified, we will add them on this page.

Holiday Inn Express
- 5150 High Crossing Blvd., Madison, WI
- Friday, February 6 from 12:01am to 12:00pm

Note: Health officials will reach out to people who have been exposed directly whenever individuals can be directly identified. You may receive a call from a representative of Public Health Madison & Dane County to follow up on a known exposure. You can verify their employment with Public Health by calling our main line at 608-266-4821. Your call will then be routed back to the representative who reached out to you.

If you were exposed at these locations, check your MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination status and monitor yourself for symptoms.

Check your vaccination status

If you were vaccinated in Wisconsin: You can find your records using the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) or you can call your health care provider.
If you were vaccinated somewhere else or have incomplete records: You can reach out to the health department in the jurisdiction where you may have been vaccinated. CDC has a list of other states' immunization information systems. You can also request serology from your doctor. This is a blood test to see if you have measles antibodies.

If you can confirm you were vaccinated, it's extremely unlikely you will get measles. If you are fully vaccinated, the measles vaccine is 97% effective at preventing illness. Keep an eye out for measles symptoms just in case, but it's very unlikely you will get sick.

While most adults are considered immune with one vaccine, we strongly recommend people who are students in postsecondary education, work in healthcare, or are immunocompromised get a second MMR vaccine to be considered fully immune.

If you are unprotected and were exposed, you need to quarantine.

Unprotected means you were born in 1957 or after and are unvaccinated or have no laboratory evidence of having had measles.
Because measles is so infectious, if you were exposed, you will need to quarantine, which means you’ll need to stay home and not go to work, school, or any public places from day 7 after your first exposure through day 21 after your last exposure. Call us at 608-266-4821 and tell the operator you are unprotected and were exposed to measles, and we can give you instructions.

If you don't know or are unsure of your vaccination status

If you don't know whether you've had the measles vaccine, we treat that the same as not being protected, just to be safe. That means you must stay home and avoid others from day 7 after your first exposure through day 21 after your last exposure or until you can confirm your vaccination status.
During that time, monitor yourself for symptoms and if you start feeling sick, call ahead before going to a clinic or hospital.

Look out for measles symptoms for 7 to 21 days after you were exposed

If you were exposed, you won't get sick right away. Measles symptoms appear 7 to 21 days after contact with the virus.
Symptoms typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms (see pictures of the rash). The rash usually starts on the head, near the hairline, and then the rash moves down towards the rest of the body.

If you were exposed and have symptoms of measles

Stay home. If you develop any of these symptoms, stay home and do not go to work, school, shopping, or use public transportation.
Call your doctor's office or clinic before visiting. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases. It’s extremely important that the office or clinic take steps to protect other people before you come to see them.
If you do not have a provider and are not sure how to contact a clinic, call us at 608-266-4821 (Monday-Friday, 7:45 am to 4:30 pm).

Babies who haven’t been immunized for measles

Measles is very contagious and can lead to serious health problems in babies. Fortunately, the measles vaccine, given to children and adults 12 months and older, is highly effective at preventing the disease. When we have a high rate of people vaccinated against measles in our community, measles doesn’t have the chance to spread. This helps protect babies before they can be vaccinated.

How to protect babies from measles

The recommended age for a first dose of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 12 to 15 months. There are ways to protect babies from measles before they can be vaccinated:

Make sure everyone around the baby is fully vaccinated against measles, including caregivers.
All people who are around the baby should wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Limit the baby’s exposure to anyone who has a cough, fever, runny nose, or red, watery eyes. This may look like a simple cold, but if measles is in the community, it’s better to be cautious. Also limit exposure to other children and crowds.
Disinfect surfaces and highly touched objects in the home regularly.
If possible, feed the baby breastmilk. Antibodies in the milk help protect them.
Check for health advisories on the CDC Travel Health Notices webpage before considering travel. Consider delaying travel to international locations with measles outbreaks. You can talk with your pediatrician about early vaccination as an option if traveling abroad.

Early immunization is not recommended at this time.

Baby’s first MMR shot should be at 12 months of age, and the second at 4 years of age. In a larger outbreak, this guidance could change. Talk to your pediatrician if you have any questions.

Symptoms to watch for

Measles symptoms begin with a fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes, followed by a rash that usually spreads from the head to the rest of the body.

If your baby is exposed to measles

Contact your healthcare provider right away. They may be able to give an injection of immunoglobulin. This could help prevent measles or reduce how severe the disease is. It must be given within 6 days of exposure.

Talk to your pediatrician

If you have questions or specific situational concerns, please talk to your pediatrician.

Measles spreads very easily and is preventable with immunization.

Measles is a very contagious virus that spreads easily and rapidly through coughing and sneezing. Simply being in the same room with someone who has measles is enough to become infected if you have not received the measles vaccine. If one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to them will also become infected if they are not protected.

Measles symptoms begin with a fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes, followed by a rash that usually spread from the head to the rest of the body. Measles can be a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. It can be prevented by the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) immunization.

Visit the CDC’s website for more information on measles.

The MMR vaccine can protect you from serious illness.

The vaccine is safe and effective. The best protection against measles is measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine is much safer than getting the disease. MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against all strains of measles. The MMR vaccine and its ingredients do not cause autism.
The MMR vaccine is a 2-dose series. Two doses are 97% effective at preventing measles and one dose is around 93% effective.
- Your child should get their first dose at 12 to 15 months old, and the second dose at 4 to 6 years old. Children 12 months through 12 years of age may get the MMRV vaccine, which also protects against chickenpox.
- Most teens and adults born after 1957 who haven't been vaccinated only need one dose. Some adults still need two doses. Visit the CDC's website for details on doses.
You do not need a booster if you are fully vaccinated. CDC considers people who received two doses of measles vaccine as children according to the U.S. vaccination schedule protected for life, and they do not ever need a booster dose. If you’re not sure whether you are fully vaccinated, talk with your doctor.
Most people who get measles are unvaccinated. During the current measles outbreak in the US, more than 95% of cases are among people who aren’t vaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. When the measles virus finds a group of unvaccinated people, it can spread very quickly.

Checking your immunization record

You can check vaccine records with the Wisconsin Immunization Registry. If you or your child received vaccines outside of Wisconsin, those vaccines might not be in WIR. Adults might not have their childhood vaccinations documented in WIR.

People born before 1957 are considered immune from measles. If you were born after 1957 and aren’t sure of your immunization status, your doctor can run labs to see if you have antibodies in your body.

Where to get vaccinated

If you have health insurance: reach out to your doctor to get caught up on your vaccines.
If you don't have health insurance or if your child is on BadgerCare: You can make an appointment with us on our website or call 608-266-4821.
Vaccine Clinic at Ezekiel Gillespie Middle School
- Saturday, February 21 from 9:00am-11:00am
- 101 S. Gammon Rd. Madison, WI 53705
- We can vaccinate people six months and older who:
  - Have no insurance for immunizations, OR
  - Have Medical Assistance or BadgerCare, OR
  - Are under 19 and Native American or Alaska Native
- See our events page for more details.