California’s First Measles Case of 2026 Appears to Be Unvaccinated Patient in Bay Area
KQED••health
Key Points:
- San Mateo County public health officials confirmed the first measles case in California for 2026, involving an unvaccinated adult who had recently traveled internationally.
- Health authorities are conducting contact tracing, and no additional cases or symptoms have been reported so far.
- California recorded 25 measles cases in 2025, contributing to a nationwide total of 2,144 cases, the highest since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.
- Measles is highly contagious and can cause severe illness, with about 20% of unvaccinated infected individuals requiring hospitalization.
- The recent case follows a measles confirmation in Contra Costa County in late December, while California maintains a 96.2% vaccination rate among
