FRESNO, Calif. – A Fresno County resident has tested positive for measles for the first time since 2023. The highly infectious virus has made a resurgence in the last decade after it had been nearly wiped out in the U.S. by vaccines.
Public health officials with both Fresno and Madera counties told media on Wednesday that the patient is an adult male who had not been vaccinated against measles and contracted the virus during a recent trip abroad.
“He's doing pretty well,” said Fresno County Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra. “He is recovering, he's quarantining at home, and he's getting really good care and following all of our advice and recommendations.”
The patient also attended a “fairly large faith-based convention” in Madera County while infectious, according to Madera County Health Officer Dr. Simon Paul. Paul and Vohra did not reveal the nature of the convention, but said it took place on March 2.
Vohra and Paul said they are now working to trace the patient’s contacts and prevent a full-blown outbreak, which is defined as three or more related cases. So far, this is the only case of the virus reported in either county this year.
Measles is highly contagious. Early symptoms include fever, cough and conjunctivitis, but the virus’s hallmark is the measles rash: flat, red bumps that typically appear on the face and hairline before spreading downward throughout the body.
Around one in five patients with the virus are hospitalized. Though relatively rare, complications including pneumonia and encephalitis can lead to serious complications and even death. The virus is fatal to as many as three out of every 1,000 children who are infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The risk to the general public is low, however, because the childhood measles-mumps-rubella vaccine that’s required by most public schools is extremely effective at preventing measles infections.
“If you've been vaccinated, you're not at risk. So you're really out of the woods there,” Paul said.
Paul estimates around 96% of school-aged children in Madera County have been vaccinated against measles. But he warned that the virus can still be transmitted easily among those who remain unvaccinated.
“When you have events with large numbers of people or somebody going to a large venue, even though most people are vaccinated, you can still have a fair number of people who could be at risk for contracting measles,” he said.
So far in 2025, California has reported five measles cases, including a Los Angeles resident and an infant in Orange County who both acquired the virus abroad and may have been infectious while traveling through Los Angeles International Airport. State health officials have not revealed where the other two patients with measles reside.
The state reported 15 cases in 2024, and four in 2023.
“Measles, one of the most contagious infections, can lead to severe life-long consequences and also be fatal, especially for children,” a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health told KVPR in an email statement. “The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and provides long-lasting protection against measles.”
Fresno County’s first case in two years comes amid a surge in outbreaks across the U.S. More than 200 cases have been reported since the start of the year, most of which have occurred in Texas. Two of those patients, including a baby, have died.
