{"id":2777,"date":"2026-05-13T16:42:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T16:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/clinicians\/?page_id=2777"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:58:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T12:58:17","slug":"measles-outbreak-in-buckingham-county","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/clinicians\/clinician-letters\/measles-outbreak-in-buckingham-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Measles Outbreak in Buckingham County"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-2777\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-2777-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-2777-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-2777-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/134\/Commissioner_Letterhead.png\" alt=\"VDH Letterhead\" width=\"878\" height=\"319\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-2777-0-0-1\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Measles Outbreak in Buckingham County<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>May 13, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dear Colleague:<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is announcing a measles outbreak in Buckingham County. As of May 13, VDH has identified twelve (12) outbreak-associated measles cases in the area. No patients reported recent travel. Without travel, the timing of these cases suggests local transmission. \u00a0There are likely more measles cases than have been reported. \u00a0In response, VDH is sharing important reminders and encouraging vaccination.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vaccination Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The MMR vaccine is the best protection against measles. Please encourage your patients to be up to date with the routinely recommended number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/measles\/vaccines\/index.html\">MMR vaccinations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, in the context of this outbreak, <strong>VDH encourages healthcare providers to talk to their patients who live in or visit the Buckingham County area about the following <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Measles-Outbreak-Vaccine-Recommendations.pdf\"><strong>outbreak vaccination recommendations<\/strong><\/a><strong>:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Infants aged 6 to 11 months<\/strong> are advised to get an early dose of the MMR vaccine. Infants who receive an early dose of MMR vaccine before their first birthday should receive two more doses at the <a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/redbook\/resources\/15585\/AAP-Immunization-Schedule\">recommended<\/a> ages at least 28 days apart.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Children aged 12 months to 18 years old who have not yet been vaccinated or never had measles infection<\/strong> should receive their first MMR vaccine dose with a second dose at least 28 days after the first dose.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Children aged 12 months or older who have previously received only one MMR<\/strong> dose should receive a second MMR vaccine dose at least 28 days after the first dose.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adults born after 1957 <\/strong>who have not previously been vaccinated or never had measles infection should receive at least one dose of MMR vaccine. Adults in the following groups should receive two doses of MMR at least 28 days apart:\n<ul>\n<li>Attend school beyond high school (e.g. college, trade school).<\/li>\n<li>Work or volunteer in a healthcare facility of any type.<\/li>\n<li>Travel internationally, including on cruise ships.<\/li>\n<li>Family or close contact of people with compromised immune systems.<\/li>\n<li>People with HIV infection without severe immunosuppression.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A small number (&lt;5%) of adults vaccinated between 1963\u20131967 received an inactivated (killed) measles vaccine.\u00a0 Adults who received this type of vaccine, or do not know what type of vaccine they received between 1963\u20131967, should receive 1 or 2 doses of MMR vaccine.<\/p>\n<p>Free or low-cost vaccines are available through Virginia\u2019s Vaccines for Children (VFC) and Vaccines for Adults (VFA) programs for those who are eligible. If needed, you can locate a VFC or VFA provider on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/immunization\/vvfc\/locatevvfcprovider\/\">VDH Website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Measles Testing and Reporting\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All Virginia healthcare providers should consult the updated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/207\/2022\/04\/Measles_HCP_Reporting_and_Testing_Guidance.pdf\">VDH\u2019s Measles Reporting and Testing Algorithm<\/a> for suspected measles cases. <u>Consider measles in patients <strong>with a fever and generalized maculopapular rash<\/strong> who:<\/u><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>were potentially exposed to a person with measles-like illness; OR<\/li>\n<li>reside in Buckingham County or surrounding areas; OR<\/li>\n<li>who have recently traveled out of the country or to regions of the United States reporting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/measles\/data-research\/index.html\">measles outbreaks<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Providers practicing in and around Buckingham County should maintain a high index of suspicion for measles <\/strong>and test any patient presenting with measles-compatible symptoms. This outbreak is also a good reminder to check the immune status of the healthcare providers on your teams.<\/p>\n<p><u>If you suspect measles<\/u>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Isolate<\/strong>: Immediately isolate the patient in a single-patient airborne infection isolation room (AIIR), or in a private room with a closed door until an AIIR is available.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Notify<\/strong>: Immediately notify <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/health-department-locator\/\">your local health department<\/a> to ensure rapid testing and investigation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Test<\/strong>: Submit a <strong>nasopharyngeal (NP) swab<\/strong> in viral transport media or universal transport media for PCR testing and a serum specimen for testing at the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS). Follow <a href=\"https:\/\/dgs.virginia.gov\/content\/dam\/site-assets\/dcls\/Hot%20Topics%20and%20Updates\/DCLS%20Measles%20Testing%20Instructions-67723-1.pdf\">instructions<\/a> for specimen collection and handling. Test results are available in less than 24 hours.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Identify<\/strong>: Begin identifying staff, patients, and visitors who might have been exposed to the patient. If measles is confirmed, exposed people will need to be contacted and assessed for immunity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/measles\/hcp\/\"><strong>VDH\u2019s Measles Information for Healthcare Providers<\/strong><\/a> for additional measles resources.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping Virginians safe and healthy.<\/p>\n<p>Sincerely,<\/p>\n<p>Cameron Webb, MD, JD<br \/>\nState Health Commissioner<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Measles Outbreak in Buckingham County May 13, 2026 Dear Colleague: The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is announcing a measles outbreak in Buckingham County. As of May 13, VDH has identified twelve (12) outbreak-associated measles cases in the area. No patients reported recent travel. Without travel, the timing of these cases suggests [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":510,"featured_media":0,"parent":25,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2777","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Measles Outbreak in Buckingham County - Clinicians<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/clinicians\/clinician-letters\/measles-outbreak-in-buckingham-county\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Measles Outbreak in Buckingham County - Clinicians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Measles Outbreak in Buckingham County May 13, 2026 Dear Colleague: The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is announcing a measles outbreak in Buckingham County. 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