ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Four more measles cases have been confirmed in metro Atlanta, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Those infected were close contacts of the person who tested positive last week. According to the department, the outbreak is associated with a “daycare setting” and the children were either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

The exact location of the daycare or of those who tested positive is unknown. The department is working to find and notify people who might have been exposed.

One parent told Atlanta News First she’s most concerned about how the children who are infected are paying the price of not getting vaccinated.

“It’s horrifying when there’s a vaccine out there that can prevent it. And for years, we had such a low incident rate and now people have this idea that vaccines are going to be terrible,” she said.

The new cases come as the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) shows an increasing number of parents are opting their children out of routine kindergarten vaccinations.

Georgia is one of 24 states where the overall kindergarten vaccine exemption rate exceeded 5%, according to the CDC. The state’s exemption rate was 5.1%, with medical exemptions accounting for just 0.1%.

11 people have now tested positive for measles in Georgia this year. In 2025, 10 cases were recorded.

Dr. Andi Shane, the Medical Director at the Hospital of Epidemiology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta calls the rise in cases concerning.

“We really need to address this, and one of the challenges is that lower rates of MMR vaccination are really contributing to these outbreaks and these clusters of infections. So once again, I really want to emphasize the importance of being vaccinated,” said Dr. Shane.

Measles, a highly contagious virus, spreads through the air when someone with it coughs or sneezes. The disease can stay in the air or on surfaces for at least two hours after the infected person leaves, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Symptoms can include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. A rash of tiny red spots will also break out.

Measles symptoms start to show up seven to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus.

The two-dose MMR vaccine can help prevent measles, mumps, and rubella.

Click here to learn more about measles.

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