BOZEMAN — A child under the age of 18 is the latest confirmed case of measles in Gallatin County, according to the Gallatin City-County Health Department.
The case was confirmed on Monday, June 30, 2025, and the exposure was from a previous case. This is the 16th confirmed case of measles in the county. The Montana Department of Health and Human Services reports there have been 24 total measles cases confirmed in the state, with the last 4 recent cases all in Gallatin County.
On June 11, 2025, the Gallatin City-County Health Department issued an accelerated administration schedule consideration for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine for all residents and visitors due to recent confirmed cases of measles in the Gallatin community. The considerations include early and accelerated vaccination for children and an additional MMR dose for adults who have received one dose. More information can be found by visiting the Gallatin City-County Health Department measles page.
The Wyoming Department of Health reported Tuesday that it has confirmed a case of measles in an unvaccinated child from Natrona County. The measles case is the first in the state since 2010, the agency said in a press release.
There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.
People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have “presumptive immunity."
Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to “herd immunity.” But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic, and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.
The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.
Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.
Additional reporting by Scripps News
