Measles Report
As of January 29, 2026, there have been 0 confirmed cases of measles in Jackson County.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has a measles dashboard that is being updated on Tuesdays and Fridays.
What is measles?
Measles is a viral respiratory illness with symptoms that typically appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus.
Typical symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
A rash starts on the face 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms and spreads to other parts of the body.
How Does it Spread?
A person with measles can spread the infection up to 4 days before their rash starts through 4 days after it starts.
Measles spreads quickly through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
If one person has measles, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not immune.
Because it is so contagious, people should stay home and contact their healthcare provider if they suspect they have measles.
How Bad can it Be?
Measles can cause serious health complications, especially in children younger than 5 years of age.
1 out of 5 unvaccinated people who get measles will be hospitalized.
1 out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
About one child out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain) that can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability.
For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die from it.
Who Should Get Vaccinated?
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the safest and best protection against measles.
Children should get two doses of the MMR vaccine, one at 12 – 15 months of age & another around age 4 – 5, before they enter Kindergarten.
Adults should have at least one dose of a measles-containing vaccine.
Two doses are recommended for adults in risk high settings like attending a post-high school educational institution, working in healthcare, or traveling internationally.
Adults born before 1957 are presumed to be immune to measles because they lived through several years of measles epidemics before a vaccine was available, making it likely they were exposed to measles. If these adults are uncertain about past exposure to measles, they should talk with their healthcare provider about their risk factors for measles and the possibility of a blood test to look for evidence of immunity or proceeding with getting the vaccine.
Measles cases in the United States typically occur when unvaccinated or undervaccinated US residents travel internationally and then spread the infection to others who are not vaccinated. Because of this, people traveling outside the US or even to an area of the US experiencing a measles outbreak should be fully vaccinated against measles or have other proof of immunity at least 2 weeks prior to travel.
Infants under 1 year of age who will be traveling to these areas should have 1 dose of the MMR vaccine.
Where to get Vaccinated?
Talk to your healthcare provider or visit the Jackson County Department of Public Health. Call (828) 586-8994 to schedule an appointment in the Immunization Clinic.
What to do if you think you have measles:
Because of its very contagious nature, it is recommended that people stay home and contact their healthcare provider if they suspect they have measles. People with symptoms of measles should not go to an emergency department or healthcare clinic without calling ahead to get guidance on when and where to go to avoid contact with others.