Utah measles outbreak slows, but newborn’s family is still waiting
Utah’s measles numbers are falling, but a Mill Creek newborn too young for the MMR shot remains cut off from relatives.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
The Utah measles outbreak is easing on state charts, but Abby Laskey and Liam Hammons still cannot safely make the family introductions they imagined. Their daughter Kasey, nearly seven weeks old in Dr. Céline Gounder’s account for CBS News and her Underlying Conditions newsletter, is too young for the MMR vaccine.
That leaves the Mill Creek family, near Salt Lake City, with a painful guest list in reverse: great-grandparents in the Midwest, relatives in Arizona and sick family members who may not have much time left to travel. Measles is the reason they are still waiting.
Utah recently returned its measles-shot guidance to the standard first dose at 12 months after allowing earlier vaccination during the outbreak, CBS News reported. The state’s weekly case count has dropped sharply since a March peak, according to the report, but the national tally is still rising.
Why can’t Kasey get the measles shot yet?
The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. According to CBS News, Kasey’s earliest possible dose would be at six months, and with Utah back to standard guidance, she is more likely to wait until age 1.
Until then, her protection depends on other people being immune. Her parents told Gounder they have cut out museums, indoor public spaces and flights, even though both parents are vaccinated.
Laskey told Gounder there is no guarantee that by the time Kasey is fully vaccinated, some relatives will still be able to meet her. Hammons said the couple has found themselves leaning on pediatricians’ warnings when explaining the decision to family, even though he felt uneasy placing the burden on doctors amid public distrust.
How many measles cases are in Utah?
Utah has recorded 518 measles cases across 22 of its 29 counties, according to CBS News. The report said no other state has matched Utah’s share of the outbreak.
Nationally, Johns Hopkins University’s measles tracker listed 2,295 confirmed U.S. cases as of July 21, CBS News reported. That passed the 2,289 cases recorded in all of 2025 and marked the highest count in 35 years. The CDC’s separate weekly count stood at 2,260 as of July 16, with the difference tied to separate reporting cutoffs.
CBS News reported that 2026 is running about 37% ahead of last year’s pace at the same point, with roughly 97% of cases spreading inside U.S. communities. Genomic sequencing tied Utah’s cases to a chain that began with a West Texas outbreak in January 2025, with the same signature confirmed in at least four other states.
The broader worry is vaccination coverage. National kindergarten MMR coverage has fallen from 95.2% five years ago to 92.5% last year, according to CBS News, below the level epidemiologists use for herd protection.
Gounder also pointed to immune amnesia, a measles effect in which the virus damages immune memory. She cited work led by immunologist Dr. Michael Mina linking measles to higher deaths from other infections for about 28 months afterward.
The United States has held measles elimination status since 2000, a status that requires no continuous domestic transmission for a full year. The Pan American Health Organization is scheduled to issue its formal assessment in November, CBS News reported.
For now, Kasey’s parents plan to keep visits outdoors, including at campgrounds and beaches, and skip flights. Her great-grandparents will keep waiting.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.