{"id":18700,"date":"2026-06-25T12:27:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:27:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=18700"},"modified":"2026-06-25T12:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:36:23","slug":"virginia-department-of-health-expands-measles-outbreak-area-to-include-cumberland-county","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-news-releases\/virginia-department-of-health-expands-measles-outbreak-area-to-include-cumberland-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Department of Health Expands Measles Outbreak Area to include Cumberland County"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE \u2013 <\/strong>June 25, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Brookie Crawford, <a href=\"mailto:brookie.crawford@vdh.virginia.gov\">brookie.crawford@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Virginia Department of Health Expands Measles Outbreak Area to include Cumberland County<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Virginia Health Officials Urge Residents and Visitors to Assess their Immunity <\/em><\/p>\n<p>RICHMOND, Va. \u2013 The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is geographically expanding the Buckingham County measles outbreak to include Cumberland County. All residents and visitors to these counties should take additional steps to ensure they are protected against measles. In addition to routine vaccination recommendations for <a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/redbook\/resources\/15585\/AAP-Immunization-Schedule\">children<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aafp.org\/clinical-insights\/immunizations-and-vaccines\/immunizations-schedules-resources\">adults<\/a>, people who live in or visit Buckingham County, Cumberland County, or surrounding areas should talk with their healthcare provider about additional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Measles-Outbreak-Vaccine-Recommendations.pdf\">outbreak vaccination recommendations.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPiedmont Health District continues to be grateful for the care with which the community has approached this measles outbreak,\u201d said <strong>Piedmont Health District Director Maria Almond<\/strong>. \u201cAs this outbreak expands to Cumberland County, I ask for the community\u2019s help to stop measles from gaining further ground by ensuring you are vaccinated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The outbreak area is expanding at this time because there is recent evidence of community transmission of measles in Cumberland County. No specific public exposure locations have been identified at this time. However, during this ongoing outbreak, Cumberland County residents and visitors are at a higher risk of exposure to measles.<\/p>\n<p>As of June 25, Piedmont Health District is reporting 106 outbreak-associated measles cases and VDH is reporting a total of 129 measles cases statewide in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/measles\/about\/index.html\">Measles<\/a> is highly contagious and can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Children younger than 12 months of age and others who are not vaccinated are very susceptible to infection if they are exposed to someone with measles.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Get Vaccinated<\/strong>: The best way to protect against measles is with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective. If you or a loved one are not up to date with <a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/redbook\/resources\/15585\/AAP-Immunization-Schedule\">routine MMR vaccinations<\/a>, contact a healthcare provider or your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/health-department-locator\/\">local health department<\/a> to schedule a vaccine appointment today. People who live in or visit the Buckingham and Cumberland County area should talk with their healthcare provider about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Measles-Outbreak-Vaccine-Recommendations.pdf\">outbreak vaccination recommendations<\/a>. These recommendations include considering an early MMR dose for infants older than six months of age to provide protection while measles is circulating in the community.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check Your Vaccination Status<\/strong>: To check your vaccination status, call your healthcare provider or request records through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/immunization\/request-immunization-record\/\">VDH Record Request Portal<\/a>. If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are considered protected.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid large gatherings in the outbreak area<\/strong> if you are not vaccinated against measles or are experiencing symptoms of measles. Attendance at large, crowded events can increase your risk of exposure if you are unvaccinated.<\/li>\n<li><strong>If you think you might have measles,<\/strong> <strong>stay home and call a healthcare provider<\/strong> or your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/health-department-locator\/\">local health department<\/a> right away. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead to notify them. This call will help protect other patients and staff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For updates on the outbreak, please visit the VDH <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/measles\/\">measles dashboard<\/a>. Updates will be posted Tuesdays and Thursdays around noon.<\/p>\n<p>For more information about measles, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/measles\/\">www.vdh.virginia.gov\/measles\/<\/a>. For additional questions, contact VDH\u2019s Call Center at 877-829-4682 (Option 2), The VDH Call Center is available Monday\u2013Friday (except holidays) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE \u2013 June 25, 2026 Media Contact: Brookie Crawford, brookie.crawford@vdh.virginia.gov Virginia Department of Health Expands Measles Outbreak Area to include Cumberland County Virginia Health Officials Urge Residents and Visitors to Assess their Immunity RICHMOND, Va. \u2013 The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is geographically expanding the Buckingham County measles outbreak to include Cumberland [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":16873,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[8,1720],"class_list":["post-18700","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-measles","tag-outbreak"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - 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