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Measles cases reported in Washtenaw County, state's first in 2026

Microscope up-close view of a measles virus
Cynthia S. Goldsmith; William Bellini, Ph.D.
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A digitally-colorized, thin-section transmission electron microscopic image shows a single measles virus particle, with the viral nucleocapsid situated underneath the viral envelope, surrounded by surface projections.

Update: March 12, 2026, 3:30 p.m.

One day after alerting the public to Michigan's first known measles case of 2026, the Washtenaw County Health Department reported a second case. The health department said this person is a close contact of the first case.

The health department also announced two more sites where people could have been exposed to the virus.

The full list of possible exposure sites now spans seven different locations across five days. (The newly listed sites are in bold below.)

  • Crunch Fitness, 3020 Washtenaw Ave in Ypsilanti on Wednesday, March 4, from 5 p.m. to 8:40 pm
  • Sidetrack Bar & Grill, 56 E Cross St in Ypsilanti on Wednesday, March 4, from 7:45 p.m. to 1 a.m.
  • Briarwood Mall, 100 Briarwood Cir in Ann Arbor, Thursday, March 5, from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • T-Mobile, 2044 Whittaker Rd in Ypsilanti on Thursday, March 5, from 6 p.m. to 8:40 p.m.
  • Cricket Wireless, Roundtree Place Shopping Center, 2547 Ellsworth Rd in Ypsilanti on Thursday, March 5, from 6:55 p.m. to 8:55 p.m.
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1415 E Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti, Friday, March 6, from 4 p.m. to 6:07 p.m.
  • Cricket Wireless, Roundtree Place Shopping Center, 2547 Ellsworth Rd in Ypsilanti on Friday, March 6, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Ypsilanti Urgent Care Walk-In Clinic, 301 W Michigan Ave #100, in Ypsilanti on Saturday, March 7, from 7:15 p.m. to 9:27 p.m.
  • Canton Urgent Care Walk-In Clinic, 43033 Ford Road in Canton on Sunday, March 8, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

“Unfortunately, we expect to see additional cases in exposed, unvaccinated individuals, as measles is very contagious,” said Washtenaw County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Juan Luis Marquez. “We urge people to protect themselves and their families with MMR vaccination if they haven’t already.”


Original post: March 12, 2026, 8 a.m.

The Washtenaw County Health Department reported a local case of measles Wednesday, and laid out a timeline of where the person might have exposed others to the virus.

That timeline spans six different locations across five days in early March.

The health department said the person, who was not vaccinated, had recently traveled to Florida and probably contracted the virus there, before visiting the following locations in Washtenaw County:

  • Sidetrack Bar & Grill, 56 E Cross St in Ypsilanti on Wednesday, March 4, from 7:45 p.m. to 1 a.m.
  • T-Mobile, 2044 Whittaker Rd in Ypsilanti on Thursday, March 5, from 6 p.m. to 8:40 p.m.
  • Cricket Wireless, Roundtree Place Shopping Center, 2547 Ellsworth Rd in Ypsilanti on Thursday, March 5, from 6:55 p.m. to 8:55 p.m.
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1415 E Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti, Friday, March 6, from 4 p.m. to 6:07 p.m.
  • Cricket Wireless, Roundtree Place Shopping Center, 2547 Ellsworth Rd in Ypsilanti on Friday, March 6, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Ypsilanti Urgent Care Walk-In Clinic, 301 W Michigan Ave #100, in Ypsilanti on Saturday, March 7, from 7:15 p.m. to 9:27 p.m.
  • Canton Urgent Care Walk-In Clinic, 43033 Ford Road in Canton on Sunday, March 8, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

“Measles is highly contagious and spreads easily though the air,” said Washtenaw County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Juan Luis Marquez. “This means we need to alert people who may have been exposed. Anyone not vaccinated is likely to become ill if exposed.”

With declining vaccination rates, measles — considered eliminated in the United States in 2000 — has surged recently, with more than 1,300 cases in the first half of last year, and more than 100 cases in Florida this year.

The Washtenaw County case is Michigan's first in 2026.

Health authorities consider people fully vaccinated after two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) or MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella) vaccines.

Symptoms of measles usually begin 7-14 days after exposure, but can appear up to 21 days after exposure and may include:

  • high fever that may spike to over 104 F
  • cough
  • runny nose
  • red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
  • tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums, and roof of the mouth (Koplik Spots) 2-3 days after symptoms begin
  • red, raised, and blotchy rash that usually starts on the face, and spreads to the trunk, arms, and legs 35 days after symptoms begin

The Washtenaw County Health Department urged anyone with concerns to call their health provider, and said people with symptoms of measles should "not seek medical treatment in person without calling the doctor’s office, urgent care, or emergency room first."

Brett joined Michigan Public in December 2021 as an editor.
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