A Public Health Alerts report today details the characteristics of 49 hospitalized measles patients in the ongoing outbreak in Utah. The patients represent 8% of the total assessed, and 90% were not vaccinated.

The authors, from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzed data from 602 patients reported to the Utah DHHS from June 20, 2025, to April 14, 2026. They conducted a chart review of the hospital patients, which showed, among other findings, that 55% had abnormal chest x-rays, mostly signaling impaired airways.

Utah’s 2025-26 measles outbreak has now reached 704 cases, with 507 of them reported this year.

Public Health Alerts, a collaboration between NEJM Evidence and CIDRAP, fills a gap in reliable data, offering expert-reviewed reports that translate frontline observations into actionable public health evidence. An NEJM Evidence editorial explains the initiative further.

Among the 602 patients, 85% were unvaccinated and 5% had an unknown vaccine status. Of the 49 hospital cases, 41% were adults, compared with 34% of all measles patients. Children 5 to 17 years old accounted for 39% of hospitalized patients, compared with 49% of all patients. Ninety percent of the patient requiring hospital care were not vaccinated against the disease.

All 49 hospitalized patients had fever and rash and either cough, conjunctivitis (“pink eye”), or coryza (runny nose). Almost two-thirds (63%) had gastrointes­tinal (gut-related) symptoms, with vomiting being most common. Other symptoms included sore throat (39%) and headache (14%).

The mean length of hospital stay was two nights, with the longest being seven nights. The mean day of hospital admission was day five of symptoms.

The most common reasons for admission were hypoxemia, or low oxygen in the blood (53%), or dehydration (27%). Other reasons included electro­lyte abnormalities, further diagnostic evaluation, sepsis (organ dysfunction tied to an infection), and shock.

Four patients required treatment in an intensive care unit.

The hospitalizations associated with the 2025–2026 Utah measles outbreak demonstrate the severity of this illness.

Chest x-rays were abnormal for 55% of hospi­talized patients (22 of 40) with available results, with most x-ray results (68%) consistent with a viral disease affecting the airway. Fourteen patients (29%) were diagnosed as having pneumonia, and six (12%) with an ear infection.

The authors note that the 8% hospitalization rate in Utah is similar to the rate confirmed in a 2018-2019 measles outbreak in New York City.

They conclude, “The hospitalizations associated with the 2025–2026 Utah measles outbreak demonstrate the severity of this illness even with current medical resources. These data may help public health staff and clinicians in Utah prepare for and treat people with severe cases of measles.”