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."
