Bay Area health officials urge vaccinations as measles cases continue to surge nationwide

Bay Area health officials are urging parents and international travelers to follow vaccination guidelines to prevent measles infections over the summer as the United States grapples with a sharp increase in measles outbreaks that began in 2025.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease; in a room where one person is infected, nine out of 10 unvaccinated people will contract the disease. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, and a rash of flat, red spots.

In 2025, the U.S. reported 2,289 measles cases, a tally higher than the combined total for the previous 25 years. This year, there have already been 2,260 confirmed infections.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spoken publicly against vaccination, and at a news conference Tuesday, representatives of the San Francisco and Santa Clara County public health departments said that they are also encountering increased skepticism regarding the effectiveness of vaccines.

Of the 52 confirmed cases this year in California, 49 were unvaccinated, or their vaccination status was unknown.

In April, San Francisco reported two measles infections, marking the first cases in the city since 2019. Santa Clara and San Mateo counties have also recorded two cases each this year.

"Having so many different cultures in our county means different languages. So we need to be able to communicate to communities in ways that are not only accurate but culturally affirming."

Dr. Monika Roy, Santa Clara County Public Health Department deputy health officer

"In our response to these two cases, we learned firsthand how resource-intensive a response to a single measles case can be," said Dr. Farrell Tobolowsky, deputy director of the Communicable Disease Branch at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

"So, infections and outbreaks can put a real strain on public health, healthcare systems, and schools," Tobolowsky added.

Dr. Monika Roy, deputy health officer at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, echoed Tobolowsky and emphasized that her team has been focusing on increasing vaccination rates to prevent outbreaks.

"Having so many different cultures in our county means different languages," said Roy. "So we need to be able to communicate to communities in ways that are not only accurate but culturally affirming."

Avoiding an outbreak is even more critical right now, as the local health agencies' response might be hamstrung by federal funding cuts.

When asked about her agency's preparedness to deal with an outbreak, Tobolowsky said that if there are two or more cases simultaneously, the San Francisco Department of Public Health would have to call in additional staff to contain the spread.

"We know that this is not the end of the funding cuts," Tobolowsky said. "It is something that we are concerned about all the time, and is on our minds all day, every day."

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