Fremont County Public Health officials encourage measles vaccinations as third Wyoming case reported this week

(Lander, WY) – The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) confirmed this week that a third case of measles has been detected in the state, involving an unvaccinated adult from Carbon County.

The first two cases reported in Wyoming involved unvaccinated people, too – first in Casper, and then in Niobrara County, according to the WDH.

As of this writing, no measles cases have been documented in Fremont County; however, due to the confirmed cases, Fremont County Public Health officials are encouraging local residents to ensure they are vaccinated against the virus.

Herd immunity

Unvaccinated people account for 92 percent of the 1,309 measles cases that have been reported across the United States so far this year, Fremont County Nurse Manager Jeanna Stewart told the Fremont County Commission this week, while only 4 percent of cases involved fully vaccinated individuals.

“The vaccine is highly effective,” Fremont County Health Officer Shalini Forbis said. “If you’re following the vaccine schedule, you get your first dose at age 1, which (is) 93 percent effective in preventing measles for an individual, and the second dose at age 4, which bumps that to 97-98 percent effective in preventing measles.”

Not everyone follows that vaccine schedule, however, Forbis said, noting that the vaccination rate at school entry for Wyoming students is only around 70 percent – well below the 95 percent threshold required for herd immunity.

“If (measles) does start traveling closer, that is going to be a weakness for us,” she said. “We’ll see what happens.”

A lack of herd immunity is what is causing measles to spread throughout the country, Stewart said, explaining that the infection was previously considered to be “basically eliminated from the United States.”

“This is what’s disturbing about this,” she said. “Anytime we have over a 95 percent vaccine rate, it’s considered eliminated. … We’re at 92.5 percent now. So that’s the problem. This is why it’s coming back. We don’t have herd immunity anymore. (So) we really do want to encourage folks to get vaccinated.”

Local residents who aren’t sure whether they’ve been vaccinated can check their status on the Wyoming Immunization Registry, she said, or they can call Public Health for help accessing their records.

Vaccines are available through Public Health, too, and “at all of our local clinics,” Stewart said, encouraging people with questions to “talk to your primary care physician on what they would recommend.”

“Do your research, and do it with reputable resources,” she said. “We want people to be well-informed (and) up to date on everything.”

She added an extra caution for people planning to travel outside of the country or to “higher-risk areas” where measles has already been detected. 

“Make sure that you’re double checking (your status),” she said, adding that there are also “special recommendations” for people traveling with infants to higher-risk areas.

In Wyoming, the person most recently affected with measles was briefly in several public areas, resulting in a potential measles exposure window of the following places and times, according to the WDH:

• July 16, 2025, 11:15 a.m. through 2:10 p.m. – Elevated Health & Safety Solutions 
• July 16, 2025, 1 p.m. through 3 p.m. – City Market, Rawlins
• July 17, 2025, 11:59 a.m. through 6:43 p.m. – Memorial Hospital of Carbon County

The WDH is working with EHSS and MHCC to notify exposed individuals. 

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious infection that can cause severe illness, the WDH said this week. 

It is spread by droplets and can infect up to 90 percent of the non-immune people who come in contact with an infected person, Stewart said, adding that the virus can also remain in the air for up to two hours. 

Early symptoms of measles include fever, cough, red and irritated eyes, and a rash that appears a few days into the infection, Stewart said.

The WDH says the rash typically starts on the face and spreads down the body. 

“People who get sick with these symptoms should call their healthcare provider for guidance,” the WDH said, noting that “calling ahead in non-emergency situations helps prevent additional exposures.” 

“If you have symptoms of measles, stay home and avoid contact with others unless you are getting healthcare.”

People who believe they may have been exposed to measles should contact their healthcare providers, too, the WDH said.

They should also “watch for measles symptoms for 21 days past the exposure date and consider avoiding crowded public places or high-risk settings such as daycare centers,” WDH State Epidemiologist Clay Van Houten said.

Avoiding contact with babies, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems – all of whom are more likely to have serious problems if they get measles – is especially important, the WDH said, and monitoring for symptoms is especially critical for people who have not been vaccinated.

“The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine safely provides highly effective and long-lasting protection against measles infection,” the WDH said. “WDH recommends that all Wyoming residents ensure that they and their children are up-to-date on MMR vaccines.”

The hospitalization rate for infected children under age 5 is greater than 20 percent nationwide, Forbis said. 

As stated above, as of this writing, no measles cases have been documented in Fremont County.

Check the WDH measles page for updated case counts and locations of potential exposure.

For more information, call Fremont County Public Health at (307) 856-6979 or (307) 332-1073.