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Measles outbreak confirmed in 3 children in Snohomish County, WA

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Published  January 15, 2026 8:52pm PST
Health
FOX 13 Seattle

The Brief

    • Snohomish County health officials have confirmed three new measles cases in children, officially declaring a local outbreak.
    • The unvaccinated children were exposed to a contagious family visiting from South Carolina and were at schools and a medical facility while infectious.
    • Officials warn more cases are likely but say the risk to the general public remains low if vaccinations are up to date.

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. - Health officials in Snohomish County have confirmed three new measles cases in local children, declaring a local outbreak of the highly contagious disease.

What we know:

The children tested positive Wednesday, Jan. 14, after being exposed to an infected family visiting from South Carolina during the holidays.

"We’re expecting more measles cases as a result of the previous exposures," said Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. James Lewis. "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."

Timeline:

The infected children were present at two schools before being diagnosed with measles. The Snohomish County Health Department listed the following exposure sites and times:

  • Pathfinder Kindergarten Center (11401 Beverly Park Rd, Everett) – Jan. 9, 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
  • Serene Lake Elementary School (4709 Picnic Point Rd, Edmonds) – Jan. 9, 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
  • Swedish Mill Creek Campus (13020 Meridian Ave S, Everett) – Jan. 13, 1:10 p.m. to 3:10 p.m.

Officials said the risk to the general public remains low because most residents are vaccinated, but urged people to check their MMR vaccination status.

The outbreak was declared after consultation with the Washington State Department of Health, which defines an outbreak as three or more linked cases in a community.

Health officials said the outbreak is linked to a South Carolina family that traveled through King and Snohomish counties while infectious from late December through early January.

Related

3 measles cases confirmed in family visiting western WA for holidays
article

3 measles cases confirmed in family visiting western WA for holidays

Health officials in western Washington are notifying the public of three confirmed measles cases over the holiday period, all within the same family.

South Carolina is currently experiencing the nation’s largest measles outbreak, with 434 cases reported since October.

More information about the measles disease can be found on the Snohomish County Health Department website.

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The Source: Information in this story came from the Snohomish County Health Department.

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