Colorado public health officials say they've confirmed a new case of measles — in a visitor from out-of-state in southern Colorado.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Las Animas-Huerfano Counties District Health Department said Thursday they're notifying the public of areas for potential measles exposures by that individual who traveled to Huerfano County and visited a local hotel and store.
The person visited the Ranch House Inn in La Veta Oct. 12-15 and the La Veta Country Store (a Valero franchise) on Oct. 13. Anyone who was in those locations during those dates may have been exposed to measles; they may see symptoms develop at the start of November.
People who have been exposed should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure and consider avoiding public gatherings or high-risk settings, according to the state health department. Monitoring for symptoms is critical for people who have not been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine.
The agency said, in a press release, there may be additional exposure locations in the area that have not yet been confirmed and locations will be updated if needed.
Measles is highly contagious and can sometimes lead to serious health problems. But it is a vaccine-preventable disease.
Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community, according to the health department. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash that usually starts several days later on the face and spreads. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides strong protection, the agency says.
Colorado has recorded 31 measles cases in 2025, according to the state. Most cases (23) involved people who are either unvaccinated or have unknown vaccine statuses. Five cases have been in those 4 and younger, with 20 in adults older than 18. Five people have been hospitalized and no one has died.
Eight counties around the state have recorded cases, with the most being identified in Mesa County, with 11. The region had an outbreak last month.
Until this year, Colorado had only one year in which it recorded more than one case since 2014. That was in 2016 when it recorded 2, according to state health department data.
As of Oct. 14, 2025, a total of 1,596 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States, with cases in most states, according to the CDC. In 12 percent of those cases, the person was hospitalized. Three people have died.
In 2025, the U.S. has now recorded the most cases since the disease was declared eliminated in this country in 2000 and the most cases in more than three decades, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
