Three Snohomish County children have been infected with measles after they were exposed to a contagious family visiting from South Carolina, according to public health officials.
The Snohomish County Health Department said in a news release that the local children tested positive Wednesday. Health officials alerted community members last week about possible exposure after a South Carolina family visited locations in Marysville, Mukilteo and Everett on Dec. 27 through Jan. 1.
The South Carolina adult and two children were infectious during their trip. The adult reported having received at least one vaccine to protect against measles, while the children were unvaccinated. The three Snohomish County children who tested positive this week are also unvaccinated.
“We’re expecting more measles cases as a result of the previous exposures as well as these new outbreak cases,” Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. James Lewis said in a news release. “We are hoping to contain it, but unfortunately there have been a number of exposure sites already and there are likely more cases in the community that we do not know about yet.”
The cases constitute an outbreak, when three or more people in the same community get measles that has spread from one person to another.
Public health officials recommend people check their vaccination status. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is safe, highly effective, lasts a lifetime and offers 97% protection against the virus.
Last year, about 2,200 people were diagnosed with measles in the country. The surge coincides with a sharp decline in the number of children being inoculated for diseases as misinformation about vaccination spreads. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have publicly questioned, without scientific evidence, the safety and efficacy of the shots.
The largest active measles outbreak in the United States is in South Carolina.
The measles virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after someone infectious with measles leaves the area. The locations the three infected Snohomish children went to this week included:
* Jan. 9, 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. – Pathfinder Kindergarten Center, 11401 Beverly Park Road, Everett
* Jan. 9, 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. – Serene Lake Elementary School, 4709 Picnic Point Rd, Edmonds
* Jan. 13, 1:10 to 3:10 p.m. – Swedish Mill Creek Campus medical facility, 13020 Meridian Ave. S., Everett
The incubation period for measles is 10 to 14 days from exposure to onset of symptoms, with a range of 7 to 21 days. For people exposed at the schools, that would be through Jan. 30. For those who were at Swedish Mill Creek, that would be through Feb. 3.
Health officials say this is where the potential measles exposure from the South Carolina family would have occurred:
* Dec. 27, 1-3 p.m., McDonald’s, 530 128th St. S.W., Everett
* Dec. 28, 2-6:30 p.m., Slavic Christian Church Awakening, 4223 78th St. S.W., Mukilteo
* Dec. 29, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Flying Squirrel Trampoline Park, 1325 S.E. Everett Mall Way
* Dec. 29, 1-3 p.m., Chick-fil-A, 8810 36th Ave., Marysville
* Dec. 30, 1-3 p.m., Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry
* Dec. 30, 6-9:30 p.m., Fisherman Jack’s, 1410 Seiner Dr., Everett
* Jan. 1, 6:45-9 a.m., travelers on rental car shuttles going to and from the airport and the Consolidated Rental Car Facility, 3150 S. 160th St., SeaTac
* Jan. 1, 7-11:15 a.m., Gate N4 and Green Line train, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, N Concourse
If you were at the locations at the times listed above and are not immune to measles, the most likely time you would become sick would be between Jan. 4 and Jan. 22. People who are immunocompromised may take longer to experience symptoms.
Anyone who was at the locations during the times listed could have been exposed to measles and should check their vaccination status. If you develop a rash or illness with fever, call a health care provider immediately. To avoid spreading measles, do not go to a clinic or hospital without calling first to tell them you want to be checked for measles after an exposure.
Measles is contagious from about four to five days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appears. People can spread measles before they have the characteristic measles rash.
Measles is highly contagious. The Snohomish County Health Department noted that if one person has it, up to nine out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected.
Measles can lead to ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, and rarely, encephalitis or death. Complications can happen even in healthy people, but those at highest risk include infants and children under 5, adults over 20, pregnant people, and people with weakened immune systems from medications or underlying disease.
Correction: A previous version of this story repeated an inaccurate address for Serene Lake Elementary School from a press release. The school is located at 4709 Picnic Point Road in Edmonds.
© 2026 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
