ATLANTA, Ga. (WTOC) - The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has confirmed measles in an unvaccinated resident of Fulton County, Georgia.

There is no known international travel associated with this case, officials say in a press release.

The individual is out of the infectious stage of the disease, but the DPH says they may have exposed others between September 2 and 11, 2025.

Exposures may have occurred at the following locations and times:

• September 2 and 4: Georgia State University (GSU)
  • Aderhold Learning Building between 7:30 am and 2:15 pm
  • Langdale Hall between 9:00 am and 12:45 pm
• Sweetgreen Restaurant on North Avenue
  • September 3 between 10:30 am and 5:30 pm
  • September 6 between 2:30 pm and 10:00 pm
  • September 8 between 10:30 am and 5:30 pm
• September 3, 6, and 7 for soccer games and practice through Inter Atlanta FC.

Individuals who were potentially exposed have been contacted, the DPH reports.

The release states that, since the practices and games were outdoors, the risk of infection is low.

DPH is working with the Fulton County Board of Health, GSU, Inter Atlanta FC, and Sweetgreen to notify individuals who may have been exposed to the virus and are at an increased risk of developing measles.

DPH urges health care providers to maintain heightened awareness for patients with measles.

What measles symptoms look like

Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes.

Then a rash of tiny, red spots breaks out that usually starts at the head and spreads to the rest of the body.

Anyone who becomes sick or thinks they may have been exposed to measles should:

• Contact your healthcare provider immediately and let them know that you may have been exposed to measles. If you do not have a doctor, please call the DPH Acute Disease Epidemiology Section at 404-657-2588 during business hours, Monday through Friday, or 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584) after hours on evenings and weekends.
• If you are not experiencing symptoms, there is no need to go to a doctor’s office, the hospital, or a public health clinic.
• If you need medical care, DO NOT go to the doctor’s office, the hospital, or a public health clinic without FIRST calling to let them know about your possible contact with measles. Your healthcare provider or public health nurse will advise you on what to do.
• If you think you might have measles, stay at home and avoid contact with other people, especially babies less than 1 year of age or people with weakened immune systems.
• Healthcare providers who suspect measles should notify public health immediately.

Measles can be prevented with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. The vaccine is safe and effective.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends children receive their first dose of MMR vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and a second dose between 4 and 6 years old.

More than 95% of people who receive a single dose of MMR will develop immunity to all three viruses. A second dose boosts immunity, typically enhancing protection to 98%.

For more information about measles, log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/epidemiology/acute-disease-epidemiology/vaccine-preventable-diseases/measles or https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html.

Recent Coverage

Just last week, WTOC reported that the state Georgia has one of the lowest vaccination numbers in the country, with only 86.8% of children vaccinated.

Local doctors’ concerns of a potential outbreak have spiked since the decline started back in 2019-2020.

“That 15% of unvaccinated people is a large number now in our population, and that leads to the potential of large numbers of people getting sick at the same time,” said Timothy Connelly, a doctor at Memorial Health.

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