More evidence of measles found in Utah’s wastewater
Sep 19, 2025, 8:09 PM
Jody deJonge, R.N., holds a multi-dose vial of the measles, mumps and rubella virus vaccination at the Salt Lake Public Health Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Laura Seitz, Deseret News)
(Laura Seitz, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health and Human Services said measles may be in more areas of Utah than originally thought after it started testing wastewater.
So far, there have been 31 reported cases of measles in Utah this year. But now the Utah Department of Health and Human Services is testing wastewater and finding more.
The department started tracking measles in the wastewater back in July. Utah Wastewater Surveillance System Manager Nathan LaCross said the majority of reported cases have been in the southwest region of the state. But wastewater shows it’s also in northern counties like Box Elder, Cache, Rich, Summit, Utah and Davis.
LaCross said the results don’t show exactly how many people have contracted the disease, but they give the department a better idea of how many people have been exposed, as some cases might never be reported.
“Regardless of whether they have the ability to access healthcare and testing, the willingness to access healthcare and testing, whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic, having no symptoms at all, the possibility they don’t even know if they’ve been exposed,” said LaCross.
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LaCross also said testing the waste water can sometimes act as a warning of what is to come.
“Changes we see in waste water … proceeded similar changes we would see in clinically identified cases. So it provides a little bit of extra time to allow us to respond and to limit the spread of whatever it is we are looking for,” he said.
