Measles cases in Albany, Lebanon concern Lane County health officials

The state’s first measles cases of the year were present at hospitals less than an hour away from Eugene and Springfield, the Oregon Health Authority announced Monday.  

State and Linn County health officials said two people with measles were at emergency departments in Lebanon and Albany while potentially infectious.

The individuals developed symptoms — including rash, fever, cough and runny nose — on Jan. 5, according to the health authority, which did not release their age, gender or county of residence.

People may have been exposed if they were at:

• Lebanon Community Hospital Emergency Department between 8:53 p.m. Jan. 6 and 7 a.m. Jan. 7
• Albany General Hospital Emergency Department between 4:59 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. Jan. 7

The hospitals are in ZIP codes where childhood vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella — usually inoculated against with what is called the MMR vaccine — fall below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity — the level of community protection that prevents measles from spreading.

Some communities along the Interstate 5 corridor from southern Linn County into Lane County have childhood MMR vaccination rates as low as 89%. In Eugene, the city’s most populous ZIP code is at 93%, while Springfield is at 95%.

But some pockets of Lane County dip to 83%, which concerns public health officials. Public health manager Jocelyn Warren, and spokesperson, Jason Davis for Lane County Health and Human Services said those gaps create opportunities for the virus to spread.

An outbreak in an under-vaccinated county locally could result in 10 to 30 cases, Davis said, rather than the outbreaks in other states that have grown quickly into the hundreds.

Even so, he cautioned that even a small outbreak could have major consequences, he warned.

“Just a huge impact on our community if we see cases, and Linn County is too close for comfort,” he said.

“It is just so easy to spread,” said Warren, who added the county is working with doctors and clinics about how to respond to patients with possible measles symptoms.

Measles often starts with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. After a few days, a rash typically appears on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body. Severe complications of the disease include brain swelling, blindness and deafness.

“It’s a really serious disease,” Warren said. “From measles [vaccination numbers] in 2025, it feels that the message is not necessarily understood.”

The U.S. reported more than 2,100 measles cases in 2025, according to data collected by NBC News, the highest total since 2000, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared measles eliminated. Elimination meant that the dozens of cases reported each year afterward were typically linked to international travel.

The peak coincides with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement — which some public health leaders believe is eroding scientific trust and fueling a rise in preventable diseases.

MMR vaccination rates have declined and exemption rates have increased. In Lane County, as across Oregon, exemption rates have reached record highs, weakening community immunity and increasing the risk of outbreaks such as measles. 

Michael Zhang contributed to this report.