The measles has been steadily making its way toward Santa Barbara and arrived this week. County Public Health confirmed Monday that a person who’d recently returned from international travel came down with the virus. The department is in infection control mode and coordinating with healthcare providers over potential exposure. They could not state where in the county the patient resided for privacy reasons, said spokesperson Jessica Martinez.
In the recent nationwide outbreak, Ventura County confirmed one case of measles earlier this month and another was reported in San Luis Obispo in December 2025. Santa Barbara had a transient finding of measles virus in its wastewater in September 2025, but it was just once. Public Health’s Martinez said the department believed it was passed by a visitor. “If it was a local case, you would anticipate multiple in a row,” she said.
Measles began a resurgence in the U.S. in January 2025 when cases spread among a population of people in Texas with low vaccination levels. So far, 2,465 cases are reported in the U.S. in 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In 2025, 2,289 cases were confirmed compared to 285 in 2024. The tri-county area is considered to have a high rate of vaccination, 95 percent or more, which brings a level of herd immunity. Measles generally starts with a fever and runny nose and eyes about two weeks after exposure, with a rash appearing about four days in. Vaccination is safe and effective, healthcare professionals attest, and lasts for a lifetime. Before this, Santa Barbara County’s last case of measles was in 2019.
