Measles Virus Detected in Anchorage
In July, the Alaska Department of Health found traces of the measles virus in Anchorage’s wastewater. Health officials stress the importance of vaccination.The samples were collected on July 7, 8, 9, and 14. They contained viral RNA, indicating that one or more infected individuals were in Anchorage on those dates, according to Dr. Joe McLaughlin, head of Alaska’s epidemiology division. “We cannot determine who they were, where they were, or whether there was transmission of the virus,” he stated in a press release sent to SOL DE MEDIANOCHE.
The catchment area includes Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson but excludes Eagle River and Girdwood. Since 2024, Anchorage has participated in a wastewater surveillance program that tests for the presence of pathogens such as influenza A and B, avian influenza (H5N1), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Authorities consider this information very useful for alerting healthcare personnel. Kristen VanderEnde, an epidemiologist with the Anchorage Department of Health, explained that “detecting the virus can help anticipate the emergence of cases in the community. In other U.S. states, the virus has been observed in wastewater days or even weeks before the first confirmed infections,” she said. Anyone with symptoms of the disease should contact their doctor before going to a healthcare facility. Measles is extremely contagious, and giving advance notice allows for the safe organization of medical care and reduces the risk of exposure to other patients. Health officials are concerned about the approaching start of the school year. VanderEnde warned that the disease can spread rapidly in schools and noted that Anchorage has a vaccination coverage rate below the recommended level. To prevent measles outbreaks, at least 95% of the population must have received both doses of the MMR vaccine. However, the most recent data show vaccination coverage in Anchorage to be below 80%, leaving the community particularly vulnerable. One case of measles has been confirmed in Alaska so far in 2026. As McLaughlin explained, the affected individual contracted the disease while on the East Coast of the United States and was no longer contagious upon returning to the state. But measles continues to spread across the country: 2465 confirmed cases in the United States as of August 6, exceeding the total recorded for all of 2025. Authorities remind the public that there is a risk that infected individuals could arrive in Alaska on commercial flights. For this reason, they stress the importance of vaccination. |