Measles detected by sampling company in Provo wastewater
Jul 11, 2025, 8:33 PM
FILE: Photo of a wastewater treatment plant in Salt Lake City (Jay Dortzbach/KSL TV)
(Jay Dortzbach/KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY — The measles virus has been detected in Provo wastewater, said the Utah Department of Health and Human Services on Friday.
Health officials were notified about the wastewater results on Friday, but the sample was collected on July 7.
“This means that at least one person was in the area who had measles at that time,” Utah health officials said. They also said they weren’t surprised by the finding.
“In this case, we know someone had measles in the Provo area around the time the sample was taken. It’s possible these wastewater results simply reflect that person,” the health department said in a statement.
According to WastewaterSCAN, the company currently providing wastewater testing services for Utah, the virus can be detected in wastewater for days or weeks.
“This helps us identify communities where people are infected with measles, sometimes even before we know that anyone is sick, ” said Nathan LaCross, manager of the DHHS Utah Wastewater Surveillance System.
WastewaterSCAN is providing the service in Provo and South Salt Lake. The DHHS intends to take over this testing at 35 sites across the state sometime in August 2025.
As of the date and time of publication, there have been nine reported cases of measles in Utah. Seven of those cases were detected in Utah County.
As of July 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,288 confirmed cases of measles in 39 jurisdictions within the United States.
The symptoms of measles include fever, cough, and red or watery eyes. This is followed by a rash, which appears three to five days after other signs of the illness begin.
Related: Utah health officials report two new cases of measles, statewide total now 9
