Why Should Delaware Care?
On Monday, the state announced its first confirmed case of measles in more than a decade. Just days later, the state officially declared an outbreak with all of the currently confirmed four cases concentrated in Kent County.
Delaware public health officials declared a measles outbreak after confirming two more cases of the virus in Kent County on Wednesday, bringing the total count to four.
The announcement comes just days after the state announced it had confirmed its first case of the virus in more than a decade.
Officials reported the state’s first confirmed case on Monday. A day later, the state announced a second case, both in Kent County. On Wednesday, officials declared the outbreak following two more confirmed cases.
According to a press release, all four of the Kent County men who tested positive for the virus were unvaccinated. The press release did not include any other identifying information, citing medical privacy restrictions.
The press release also said the state based its declaration on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that define an outbreak as “three or more cases of measles that are connected by time and location.”
Public health officials said contact tracing was ongoing, and they would notify those who have been exposed to “confirm whether they have been vaccinated against measles, provide educational resources, and to recommend treatment when necessary.”
Earlier this year, Delaware’s principal pediatric hospital, Nemours Children’s Health, reported a measles exposure, but no information about any confirmed cases was released at a later time. The incident involved someone from out of state who sought care at the Wilmington-area hospital, officials said at the time.
In 2000, the U.S. declared measles was eliminated. But last year, cases hit their highest level since that elimination declaration amid a wave of vaccine skepticism, according to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
What can you do to protect yourself?
Measles is highly contagious, and one person can infect multiple other people if those people are not vaccinated. Symptoms can take days, or even weeks, to show themselves, Delaware officials said.
Symptoms can include fever, cough, pink eye or a runny nose lasting for days prior to the onset of the widespread, splotchy rash associated with measles, state officials said.
If someone is exposed or begins showing symptoms, the state health department said they should call its Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. The state offers two phone numbers, one for business hours, as well as a 24-hour hotline:
- Business hours line: 302-744-4990
- 24-hour hotline: 888-295-5156
The state recommends that people exposed to measles find a dose of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine within three days. According to a press release, these vaccines can be found at primary care clinics and pharmacies, and residents should contact their preferred providers to find out more.
Two of the nation’s top pharmacy chains, CVS and Walgreens, both offer the MMR vaccine. Patients can schedule appointments online. Here are links to their MMR pages:
Children ages 1 through 12 are eligible for the vaccine and usually receive two doses. The first dose is usually administered after a child’s first birthday and then again after a few years.
According to the state, those who receive the vaccine are protected for life if they receive both doses, though like all vaccines, the state says there is still a nominal chance someone could contract the virus if they are vaccinated.
National outbreaks amid rise in vaccine skepticism
Across the country, states have contended with worsening measles outbreaks in conjunction with heightened vaccine skepticism. This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 2,260 cases in 44 states, according to data from last week.
Those figures are approaching 2025’s full-year count of 2,289 confirmed cases. More than 90% of cases in both years were confirmed in people who were not vaccinated against the virus.
One of the states with the worst outbreaks was South Carolina, which saw nearly 1,000 cases in one of its northern counties between October 2025 and April 2026. According to a state health dashboard, more than 900 of those confirmed cases occurred in individuals who were not vaccinated.
That same dashboard also said children were particularly impacted by the six-month outbreak. Close to 900 of the confirmed cases were in children under 18. Nearly 80% of those confirmations were among children younger than 11.
The state declared an end to the outbreak in April, reporting no deaths.
In Texas, however, two children died during an outbreak last year. The state dealt with an eight-month outbreak from January to August in the western part of the state. A release from Texas health officials said it had confirmed 762 measles cases, and the outbreak hospitalized 99 people.
Earlier this month, Delaware started its own Office of the Surgeon General in response to what it saw as a disconnect between state and federal health officials over vaccines.
In September 2025, as the federal government began revising vaccine recommendations, Delaware and other states publicly countered the new guidelines. When Delaware refuted the federal government, Gov. Matt Meyer issued a “standing order” to pharmacists to “ensure ease of access” for people seeking the vaccines in the state.
It mirrored efforts in other states like Massachusetts, whose governor ordered her state’s insurance carriers to continue to cover vaccines, even if they were not recommended by the federal government.
Delaware joined with Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to collectively focus on “developing evidence-based recommendations on vaccinations, disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and supporting state public health labs.”
