Alabama health officials are preparing for a potential Alabama measles outbreak as cases expand across the Southeast and nationwide case counts rise, according to State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris.
Harris said the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is taking steps to ensure medical providers are ready to identify and respond to cases of the highly contagious disease, which has not had sustained transmission in Alabama for decades.
“We’re educating providers and sending out information to health care facilities and individual providers so that they can look for it and recognize it,” Harris said during a recent public health meeting.
He also noted that ADPH now has the ability to conduct measles testing within the state, allowing faster confirmation of cases.
“We’ve got the ability to do our own measles testing now here in-state, which is a much quicker turnaround than having to send it out,” Harris said.
Harris said Alabama health officials expect measles to eventually reach the state due to regional outbreaks and increasing national case counts.
“There are already cases from that cluster that are in Charlotte, North Carolina, in East Tennessee. Georgia has had cases. Florida has a different cluster in the Fort Myers area,” Harris said. “We fully expect that we’re going to see it.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 1,000 confirmed measles cases nationwide through mid-February, with the majority concentrated in South Carolina and additional cases reported in Florida and other nearby states.
Measles is considered one of the most infectious diseases and typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes before progressing to a rash. In severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling or death, particularly among children.
According to CDC data, the United States recorded 2,280 measles cases in 2025, with nearly 90% linked to outbreaks.
Alabama reported one measles case in 2025 involving an unvaccinated child who contracted the disease while traveling internationally. The child recovered and did not spread the illness to others. It was the state’s first confirmed measles case since 2002.
Public health officials say early recognition and vaccination efforts will be key to limiting potential spread if measles cases emerge in Alabama.
