Two new measles cases in Arizona in last two weeks

Two new cases of measles in Arizona were reported in April 2026, with exposures at events or public places. A new local case was reported with a possible exposure at an Arizona Youth Sports basketball game in Mesa on April 11, 2026. People who were at the game in the Highland Junior High gymnasium between 2 and 5 p.m. are encouraged to watch for symptoms through May 2, 2026. This is the sixth case in Maricopa County in 2026, and the third one that can’t be traced to another known case.

Also, COVID-19 is still moving through our communities, and with fewer people getting vaccinated, the strain is able to spread easily. As we head into graduation month and into the summer, people should be aware their exposure risk is higher.

Will Humble, Executive Director for the Arizona Public Health Association, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss how measles and COVID-19 are impacting Arizonans.

Humble said the head of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blocked the release of a new study showing the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine at reducing hospital stays and eliminating the need in some cases to go to the emergency room.

“Maricopa County Public Health went out, found the teams that were there, it gave notice to the parents to try to get them to, especially the unvaccinated kids that were there, to really watch for symptoms,” Humble said, “so that they don’t go into school, and spread it in a charter school.”

Humble explained those who were vaccinated and exposed were found not susceptible; those who are unvaccinated would have to be in an incubation period for roughly one to two weeks.

“The vaccination rates are too low for a disease as contagious as measles,” Humble said. “It’s the most contagious disease there is. Super contagious, and you have to have vaccination rates up in the 95% level to suspend and stop that transmission from person to person.”