Georgia baby is state’s first 2026 measles case

A baby from the Georgia coastal area has been diagnosed with measles, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health, making the infant the state’s first measles case of the year.

The baby caught the illness while traveling to another country, the agency said in a written statement. The case is not linked to the massive outbreak spreading through South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio, health officials say.

DPH officials are working to identify people possibly exposed to measles through contact with the Georgia baby. In such cases, public health workers typically test those contacts, report any new cases and ask the people to isolate.

The baby just diagnosed is too young to be vaccinated against measles. Babies should only get their first dose of the measles vaccine after reaching 12 months of age, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

It’s one reason experts like the AAP recommend measles vaccination for most other people, to create herd immunity protection for those who can’t be vaccinated.

In herd immunity, a single case runs its course and disappears with no one new to infect. Herd immunity for measles generally requires about 95% of a population to be vaccinated.

If children do get measles, they can be hospitalized. It can be fatal in some rare cases.

Much more common is the effect of measles making the infected vulnerable to other diseases later, through a phenomenon called immune amnesia. In the years after having measles, people infected as babies may die from something else because measles can wipe out their immune system’s memory.

DPH offers vaccinations, and is currently offering several vaccine events, including for people without health insurance.

For those with health insurance, it usually covers vaccination regardless of recent changes at the federal level. Go to www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/programs-services/immunizationsvaccinations/ for more information about vaccination events in Georgia’s coastal region, where the baby lives.

State health officials say people with measles symptoms should contact their doctor or clinic immediately. But do not just go in — call first and let them know your symptoms because measles is extremely contagious.

Georgia had 10 cases last year, but effectively identified the patients and encouraged their isolation to quell the outbreak in the state.