A child, who visited Guilford and Forsyth counties last week, became North Carolina's first confirmed case of measles this year, according to public health officials.
The child got sick while traveling to North Carolina from another country where measles outbreaks have been reported, according to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
State public health officials are working with Forsyth and Guilford counties to identify times and places people could have been exposed to measles. Those places include a Sleep Inn in Kernersville, the Greensboro Science Center, the Greensboro Aquatic Center and Piedmont Triad International Airport between June 19 and 22.
“Getting vaccinated against measles continues to be the most important step we can take to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” said state DHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai. “It is important to check with your health care provider to ensure you are current with all your vaccines.”
Measles symptoms include fever and rash, and can start one to three weeks after exposure, public health officials said. DHHS said if anyone develops symptoms, they should call ahead before going to a doctor or hospital so the doctors can make sure no one else is exposed to the virus.
"Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease that is spread by direct person-to-person contact and through the air. The virus can live for up to two hours in the air where the infected person was present," DHHS officials said.
Public health officials said 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to measles will become infected.
"About one in five people who get measles will be hospitalized,"according to DHHS officials.
"In addition to North Carolina’s case, 1,214 measles cases have been reported in 2025 in 36 other jurisdictions as of June 19, 2025," DHHS said.
The biggest outbreaks have been in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.