The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported the child had no known connection to confirmed cases and hadn’t left the state in recent weeks, meaning they likely got the virus from someone who didn’t seek testing.

If health officials don’t know who has measles, they can’t notify exposed people about the need for precautions, which gives the virus another chance to spread.

People who visited two health care facilities on Wednesday evening could have encountered the virus: Delta Health Urgent Care at 296 Stafford Lane, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Delta Health’s emergency department at 1501 Third St., from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (The virus can hang in the air for two hours, creating situations where one person could inadvertently expose people in two places at the same time.)

Two doses of the vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing measles, and unvaccinated people can reduce their risk of infection if they get the shot within 72 hours of exposure. Getting an antibody drug can lower the odds of complications if an exposed person takes it within six days.

Early measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. Most people are contagious about four days before the rash appears, meaning they can spread it without knowing what they have. If someone exposed to the virus develops symptoms within 21 days, they should call ahead before seeking medical care, so the provider can protect other patients.

The child, who is younger than 5, received one dose of the vaccine. Most children receive their first dose at 1 and their .

Colorado had a flurry of measles cases early in the year, including a cluster linked to Broomfield schools. So far, the state has confirmed , raising the possibility of surpassing last year’s total of 36.

In a typical year, the state had two or fewer cases.

Denver was the first stop on the anti-vaccination dating app four-state tour to give those opposed to vaccination a chance to meet and fall in love with others who do not understand science. Although the app founders oppose all vaccinations, those who have received the COVID-19 vaccination are explicitly forbidden to join. Shucks.

Unjected was started by two women in Hawaii back in 2021. The organization initially invited anti-vaxxers to “find love with mRNA free partners.” Pickings were worse than on other dating apps, however, since all living creatures naturally have mRNA in their cells.

Unjected has since scrubbed the line from the website. For a good laugh, you’ll need to visit their Facebook page instead. After being uninvited by the Denver beer garden, the app spokeswoman aired her vexation on the social media platform by claiming the COVID shot killed millions as part of a mass depopulation agenda.

Apparently, the “World’s First Unvaccinated Platform” has lined up another location, the Grizzly Rose. They should have booked the massive secret underground bunker under the Denver International Airport, where unvaccinated extraterrestrials are looking to hook up.

The Grizzly Rose is likely to regret hosting the event. The first venue bore the brunt of the Denver community’s hostility to Unjected despite their lack of involvement in the event. Recess Beer Garden was chosen at random and wisely backed out. Can’t blame them for taking a pass.

Although COVID infections are down, thanks in part to widespread vaccination, other communicable diseases are on the up and up, thanks to increasing vaccination rejection promoted by the likes of Unjected.

Colorado public health officials just announced the 17th case of measles this year. A child who had not been vaccinated ended up in the hospital, but not before exposing others at school and at a restaurant. Measles can linger in the air on suspended droplets for up to two hours. Even after an infected person leaves the building, people remain exposed to the virus.

Babies too young to be vaccinated and those who cannot be vaccinated for a legitimate health reason, such as a vaccine allergy, as well as those who have not been vaccinated for no good reason, are vulnerable to infection.

The disease is so contagious that before 1963, when the vaccine became available, most children got measles. Up to 4 million people contract the disease each year. Of these about 48,000 are hospitalized, and 400 to 500 people die every year. Some patients who experienced encephalitis (swelling of the brain) face lifelong effects such as epilepsy, intellectual disability, vision loss, and deafness. Others develop an immunological deficiency or lung damage from pneumonia contracted while the body was trying to fight off the measles virus.

Since 1963, the vaccine has saved thousands of people from disease, disability, and death. It is so effective that in the year 2000, the disease was considered eliminated from the United States. Now, thanks to the anti-vaxx movement, organizations like Unjected, and disinformation super spreaders like the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK, Jr., measles and other communicable diseases are once again putting people in harm’s way. Colorado, like other states, is on track to exceed the number of cases contracted last year.

Denver singles would be wise to reject Unjected.

Krista Kafer is a Sunday Denver Post columnist.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

The unvaccinated child had traveled to a state with recent measles cases. The following locations have been identified as places with possible measles exposure:

• Mineral 1886 Restaurant, 700 Harrison Ave., Leadville, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
• Lake County High School, 1000 W. 4th St., Leadville, 7:35 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday
• St. Vincent Hospital Emergency Department, 816 W. 4th St., Leadville, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday

Early signs include a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, with a rash starting at the hairline about four days after someone becomes contagious.

Getting the shot up to 72 hours after exposure to the measles virus reduces the odds of getting sick. People who miss that window may still be able to prevent or reduce symptoms if they get an antibody product within six days, though the odds get longer as time passes.

Two shots of the measles vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing illness, if given at least two weeks before the person encounters the virus.

Anyone who develops symptoms after a known measles exposure should call ahead before seeking medical care, so the clinic or hospital can reduce the odds that other patients will get the virus.

Typically, the health department asks unvaccinated people with a known measles exposure to quarantine for 21 days.

The new measles case is the 17th in Colorado this year.

An unvaccinated adult who was a close contact of a known measles case in Weld County visited two health care facilities on Monday, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The virus can stay in the air for up to two hours, so the exposure windows overlap:

• UCHealth Primary Care Johnstown, 4846 Larimer Parkway, 3:15-5:20 p.m. Monday
• Banner Fort Collins Medical Center emergency department, 4700 Lady Moon Drive, 3:35-6:10 p.m. Monday

Getting the shot up to 72 hours after exposure to the measles virus reduces the odds of getting sick. People who miss that window may still be able to prevent or reduce symptoms if they get an antibody product within six days, though the odds get longer as time passes.

Two shots of the measles vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing illness, if given at least two weeks before the person encounters the virus.

People exposed on Monday could develop symptoms through May 4.

Early signs include a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, with a rash starting at the hairline about four days after someone becomes contagious.

Anyone who develops symptoms after a known measles exposure should call ahead before seeking medical care, so the clinic or hospital can reduce the odds that other patients will get the virus. The state health department couldn’t immediately confirm if the person who sought care Monday knew they could have measles.

Typically, the health department asks unvaccinated people with a known measles exposure to quarantine for 21 days.

The new measles case is the fifth confirmed in Weld County this year and 16th in Colorado.

The two new cases are in unvaccinated adults who are “household contacts” of a previously confirmed case, the and Weld County Public Health said in a news release Wednesday. The cases are not connected to an outbreak in Broomfield.

The Weld County residents may have exposed people to the virus who were at the Shopping Center, 505 N. Academy Blvd, from 5-8 p.m. on March 25.

People who were exposed may develop symptoms any time through April 15, according to state officials. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a rash that usually starts on the face several days later and spreads.

Those who may have been exposed should monitor for symptoms, particularly if they have not been vaccinated. That includes infants younger than 1 year who are not routinely recommended to get the vaccine, CDPHE officials said.

Anyone who develops symptoms should contact their local public health agency or state public health officials at 720-653-3369.

in 2025 and 15 so far in 2026, compared to six total cases between 2014 and 2024, state data shows.

The resident, an adult who was not vaccinated, recently traveled to an area in a different state that has an outbreak, officials with the and Weld County Public Health said in a news release.

Check MMR vaccination rates for Colorado schools, preschools and child care facilities

"The person was hospitalized but has been discharged. Public health officials do not believe it to be connected to the current outbreak in the Broomfield area," agency leaders said.

People who were at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies emergency department, 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave. in Loveland, between 5:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tuesday may have been exposed to the measles.

People who were at the hospital's outpatient pharmacy between 11:25 a.m. and 1:25 p.m. Wednesday may also have been exposed, public health officials said.

Anyone who was exposed and is not vaccinated can get the vaccine within 72 hours of exposure -- in this case, by 8 p.m. Friday -- to help prevent illness, according to CDPHE.

Measles symptoms, including fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, may appear through April 8. People may also develop a rash that usually starts on the face several days after the initial symptoms develop.

Anyone who develops symptoms should call their local public health agency or state public health officials at 720-653-3369 immediately. Those in need of medical care should call their doctor, urgent care or emergency department before arriving to help limit additional exposures.

Public health officials have confirmed so far this year, according to the CDPHE online dashboard. Ten of those cases are part of an outbreak linked to two schools in Broomfield. And all but one occurred in people who were not vaccinated.

There were 35 confirmed , 24 of which were in people who did not have the vaccine.

Someone who lives in the same household as one of the people sickened in the Broomfield schools outbreak — which has grown to nine cases — visited , 5225 W. 80th Ave. in Arvada, at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Check MMR vaccination rates for Colorado schools, preschools and child care facilities

Because the virus can linger in the air up to two hours after a sick person leaves, it could have infected people until about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Symptoms could develop through April 1.

Bout Time said all employees are vaccinated and no one has shown signs of illness. The Arvada location underwent cleaning after learning about the customer with a presumed measles infection and is now operating as normal, the company's statement said.

The measles vaccine can reduce the odds that a previously unvaccinated person will get sick if they receive it within 72 hours of exposure, meaning that people exposed Tuesday have until Friday evening to get the shot, according to the .

The Broomfield outbreak now includes nine cases and may soon grow to 10, with the state health department on Thursday announcing two new confirmed infections and one probable case in people who share living space with people who got sick.

Two were in quarantine because they are unvaccinated. The vaccinated person appears to have developed a breakthrough infection, though the state is still confirming their diagnosis.

Two doses of the vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing measles. People who experience a breakthrough infection can still infect others, though the odds are lower because they don't shed as much virus.

Measles causes a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, with the rash appearing about four days after most people become contagious. Anyone who has those symptoms following a measles exposure should call ahead before seeking medical care, so the clinic or hospital can take precautions to protect others, the state health department said.

The department announced the first case tied to Broomfield High School on Feb. 27 and declared an outbreak on March 5 following two additional cases. All of the cases have ties to either Broomfield High School or Broomfield Heights Middle School, or live in the same household as one of the previous cases.

About 80 people, most of them students, had to stay out of school for three weeks following their exposures because they aren't vaccinated and don't have proof of immunity. The two schools have about 2,275 students combined.

The outbreak has resulted in exposures at 21 locations, including health care facilities, restaurants, a community center and Denver International Airport.

Last year, the , mostly in people who traveled to countries or states with ongoing outbreaks. It was a marked departure from the previous decade, when Colorado had no more than two cases per year.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported four new measles cases Friday: three in Adams County and one in Weld County. All four patients had ties to Broomfield High School or Broomfield Heights Middle School.

The agency also publicly identified 10 new locations where people could have been exposed to the measles virus, including Denver International Airport.

The first case tied to Broomfield High was announced Feb. 27 and public health officials declared the outbreak Wednesday following the confirmation of a third case, in a Broomfield Heights student who had contact with one of the cases connected to Broomfield High.

All seven people who got measles as part of the Broomfield outbreak are unvaccinated.

The two schools, which enroll a combined 2,275 students, have high vaccination rates. State health records show 97% of Broomfield High students and 96.7% of Broomfield Heights students in the 2024-25 school year had received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Check MMR vaccination rates for Colorado schools, preschools and child care facilities

As of Friday, state health officials had "excluded" 80 people -- mostly students -- from the two Broomfield schools because they were either unvaccinated or could not provide proof of immunity, said Hope Shuler, interim communications director for the Department of Public Health and Environment.

Those students and staffers -- including any with medical or nonmedical vaccine exemptions -- will not be allowed to return to school for at least three weeks, since it can take up to 21 days after exposure to the measles virus to develop symptoms, Shuler said in an email.

But if more measles cases are detected at either of those schools, the unvaccinated students may need to stay home beyond the initial three-week period.

"It is not a countdown from the first case; it is a countdown from the last known exposure at the school," Shuler said.

School leaders at Broomfield Heights and Broomfield High are "working to support students who are excluded or quarantined because of these cases," said Randy Barber, chief communications officer at the Boulder Valley School District.

The district is following its normal protocol for students who are out of class for extended periods with medical or family issues, Barber said in an email. Students "are encouraged to connect with their school administration and/or teachers to see what assignments can be completed while they are out on leave," he said.

New exposure locations

State health officials on Friday also announced 10 new locations where people may have been exposed to the virus through the new patients, including DIA on Feb. 16.

Other possible exposure locations include health facilities in Broomfield, Westminster and Frederick, as well as restaurants, a church and a bowling alley.

These are the newly reported locations where people could have become infected:

• Arby's, 5130 W. 92nd Ave., Westminster, 1-4:10 p.m. Feb. 21. Symptoms could appear through March 14.
• Broomfield Heights Middle School, 1555 Daphne St., 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 24. Symptoms could appear through March 17.
• Children's Hospital Colorado North Campus, 469 Colorado 7, Broomfield, 3:15-10 p.m. Feb. 18. Symptoms could appear through March 11.
• Chippers Bowling Alley, 100 Nickel St., Broomfield, 12:25-3:50 p.m. Feb. 19 and 1:05-4 p.m. Feb. 20. Symptoms could appear through March 12 or March 13.
• Coldstone Creamery, 10443 Town Center Drive, Westminster, 7-10 p.m. Feb. 19 and 5-10 p.m. Feb. 22. Symptoms could appear through March 12 or March 15.
• CommonSpirit Emergency and Urgent Care Indian Peaks, 4943 State Highway 52, Frederick, 1:45-5 p.m. Feb. 20. Symptoms could appear through March 13.
• Denver International Airport, 6-9 p.m. Feb. 16. Symptoms could appear through March 9.
• Kaiser Permanente Hidden Lake offices, 7701 Sheridan Blvd., Westminster, 1-4 p.m. Feb. 18. Symptoms could appear through March 11.
• Kaiser Permanente Westminster clinic, 11245 Huron St., 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 25. Symptoms could appear through March 18.
• Woodside Baptist Church, 8500 E. Alameda Ave., Denver, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 22. Symptoms could appear through March 15.

Measles vaccine is 97% effective

Symptoms of measles can appear up to three weeks after exposure. The first signs are nonspecific, including fever, cough, a runny nose and red eyes. The rash usually appears four days after the sick person becomes contagious.

People who develop symptoms after an exposure should call before seeking medical care, to reduce the odds of infecting others.

Two doses of the measles vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing infection. Unvaccinated people can reduce their odds of getting sick if they get the shot within 72 hours of exposure, but that window has passed for contacts of the newly identified cases.

Colorado has confirmed eight measles cases so far in 2026, all among unvaccinated people. Last year, amid outbreaks around the nation, the state recorded 36 cases -- an exponential increase over the past decade, during which each year saw between zero and two cases.

can take up to three weeks to appear and initially are nonspecific: a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. The rash, which typically starts at the hairline and moves down, appears about four days after someone becomes contagious, so people can spread the virus before they know what they have.

Check MMR vaccination rates for Colorado schools, preschools and child care facilities

Many of the exposure sites identified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as being linked to the Broomfield outbreak have expired, though they still include a sports bar in Arvada, a Chipotle restaurant in Westminster and Broomfield High School.

Two new exposure sites have been identified at the UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland in connection with a Weld County measles case.

The current locations where people could have encountered the virus are:

• Bout Time Pub & Grub, 5225 W. 80th Ave., Arvada, 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. March 10-11. Symptoms could appear through April 1.
• Broomfield High School, 1 Eagle Way, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 19-20 and Feb. 23-27. Symptoms could appear through March 20.
• Chipotle, 5160 W. 120th Ave., Westminster, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 26. Symptoms could appear through March 19.
• UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies Emergency Department, 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave., Loveland, 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., March 17. Symptoms could appear through April 7.
• UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies Outpatient Pharmacy, 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave., Loveland, 11:25 a.m. to 1:25 p.m. March 18. Symptoms could appear through April 8.

People who encountered the virus and develop symptoms should call ahead before going for medical care, to reduce the odds of spreading the virus.

Two doses of the measles vaccine reduce the odds of infection by about 97%. People who haven't been vaccinated can get partial protection if they receive the shot within about three days of exposure to the virus.

Last year, the state recorded 36 cases -- a huge increase over the past decade, during which each year saw between zero and two cases.