D.C. officials are still investigating possible measles exposures to District residents after health authorities confirmed that a contagious individual moved through the busy Philadelphia to Washington corridor, prompting contact tracing that now connects the District to a nationwide rise in measles cases spanning multiple states.
“DC Health is working to identify people who are at risk and to notify individuals who may have been exposed,” the D.C. Department of Health said in a public advisory, after confirming that the infected traveler passed through Amtrak routes and medical facilities used daily by residents and commuters.
The District investigation comes as measles cases surge well beyond the nation’s capital. In South Carolina, health officials have confirmed more than 600 cases since the outbreak began last fall, with most infections involving unvaccinated children and teenagers. State health authorities have reported widespread school disruptions, large-scale quarantines, and continued transmission that has stretched into early 2026.
Federal pediatric surveillance data reportedly revealed similar patterns nationwide. More than 2,200 measles cases were confirmed across 45 states last year, with nearly nine out of 10 linked to outbreaks. Early figures for 2026 already show sustained transmission in multiple jurisdictions, with children under 19 accounting for the majority of infections. Public health officials in various states say declining vaccination rates have created conditions where a single exposure can ignite rapid spread.
Texas has provided one of the most urgent of warnings. A prolonged outbreak that began in a community with low vaccination coverage led to dozens of pediatric hospitalizations and the first U.S. measles deaths in years. Hospital leaders in West Texas disputed public statements that minimized the severity of the outbreak, saying children were admitted for breathing difficulties and other serious complications.
Public health experts have increasingly pointed to federal leadership as a contributing factor. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spent years promoting claims that question vaccine safety and effectiveness, including assertions about measles vaccination that infectious disease specialists and pediatric organizations have rejected as unsupported. Fact-checkers and medical authorities note that two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine provide strong protection and that serious complications from vaccination are rare compared with the risks of infection.
International health authorities are now reviewing whether the United States could lose its measles elimination status, a designation held since 2000. Sustained transmission across state lines for more than a year could trigger that determination, a move that public health officials warn would signal a breakdown in routine disease prevention.
“Measles is highly contagious,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected.”
In the District, DC Health has provided practical guidance for residents. People who may have been exposed and are not immune have been advised to monitor symptoms for up to 21 days and to contact a healthcare provider before visiting a clinic or emergency room.
Residents can call DC Health at 844-493-2652 for guidance, testing information, and help verifying immunization status. Those who have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine or who were born before 1957 are considered protected and generally do not need to take action.
“Measles is preventable through vaccination, and early identification and isolation are essential to protecting the public,” DC Health officials noted.