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Second Infant Measles Case Reported in Orange County This Year
A baby in Orange County contracted measles after international travel, marking at least the second such infant case in California in 2026. Nationwide, 1,814 measles cases have been confirmed so far this year, approaching last year's total of 2,288. Three deaths have occurred since the surge began last year, while officials highlight vaccination strategies for vulnerable infants.
May 6, 6:00 AM·2m read1 source
Los Angeles TimesAudio version
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A baby in Orange County, California contracted measles in 2026 after traveling internationally before falling ill. It is at least the state's second infant case of measles so far this year. Officials in San Francisco reported last month that a baby under 1 year old had been infected with measles, and both the San Francisco and Orange County infants traveled internationally before falling ill.
Orange County reported a confirmed measles case in a toddler in January 2026. U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In babies, the measles virus can also cause a rare condition called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE. The risk of developing SSPE is as high as 1 in every 600 children who are infected with measles as babies.
A. A. County health officials said. There is no cure for SSPE. So far this year, 1,814 measles cases have been confirmed nationwide, including 48 measles cases confirmed in California, according to the CDC.
The national measles count this year is fast approaching the 2,288 cases documented all of last year. Before last year, the highest national annual measles caseload in recent memory was 2,126 infections in 1992. Three people have died since measles began to surge nationwide last year.
Two of the measles deaths were unvaccinated school-age children in Texas who had no underlying medical conditions. One of the measles deaths was an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico. U.S. had seen only three total measles deaths over the preceding quarter-century combined.
