The Vermont Department of Health has confirmed a case of measles in a school-aged child in Lamoille County — the first to be discovered in 2025. 

The unnamed child became sick after traveling internationally with family. The risk to the public is believed to be “low,” but Vermonters who may have been exposed to the child at the Copley Hospital emergency department may need to take action to protect others, according to a Tuesday press release from the department. 

The child tested positive Monday after visiting Copley Hospital in Morrisville the day prior. Anyone who was inside the hospital’s emergency department between 3:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday should confirm their immunity to measles through vaccination or previous infection, and monitor for symptoms through March 30, according to the release.

If you cannot confirm your immunity by contacting your health care provider or requesting your immunization records, you should call the health department at 802-863-7240, option 2 for guidance. 

Although this is the first case of measles reported in the state in 2025, there were two documented cases in 2024, one in 2018 and another in 2011, according to the release. 

This most recent case has not been linked to ongoing outbreaks in the southern United States and Québec, according to the department. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 200 cases of measles so far this year, up from just 58 in 2023. 

Health department officials urged Vermonters to get themselves and their children vaccinated for measles. 

Health officials attribute the recent uptick in measles, in part, “to an increase in the number of unvaccinated people, which impacts community immunity,” the department said in the release.

About 93% of school-aged children in Vermont are vaccinated for measles — below the 95% benchmark that experts believe is essential for herd immunity. 

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases worldwide and can be deadly, especially in children under 5. One in five unvaccinated people with measles end up hospitalized for the disease, according to the release. 

Symptoms of measles include a high fever, a cough, and a rash a few days after initial symptoms appear. For more details about measles symptoms, how the virus is spread and how to get vaccinated against the disease, visit the health department’s website.