GREAT FALLS — The spread of measles in parts of Montana continues, with 17 confirmed cases across the state - and now there may have been measles exposure in Great Falls, according to the Cascade City-County Health Department (CCHD) in Great Falls.
The CCHD said that although no measles cases have been confirmed in Cascade County residents at this time, a confirmed exposure event occurred when an infected resident of another county visited a Great Falls business location. Anyone present in the building (or in any business located within the building) during certain hours is considered likely to have been exposed to measles.
The CCHD said on Wednesday that a person from Hill County came to Great Falls for an appointment on Tuesday, May 27, at Prospect Heights Medical Center (in the vicinity of the 1400 block of Fourth Street South).
Two days later, the person began experiencing symptoms of measles.
Abigail Hill, the health officer for Cascade County, explained, "Because measles is airborne, because it entered that building, the entire building is considered exposed.”
HILL TALKS ABOUT MEASLES EXPOSURE:
The Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services says you can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after that person has left.
The list of exposure locations associated with the person's visit in Great Falls includes Central Montana Orthopedic Specialists, Sun River Health, Atlas Neurology, the office of Dr. Susan Avery, Quest Diagnostics, and Northwest Physicians.
CCHD GUIDANCE
If you think you may have been exposed but do not receive notice from CCHD within the following several days, you may contact CCHD at 406-791-9242 for directions. Exposed individuals with presumed immunity (see below) do not need to quarantine but should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after the exposure; individuals who do not have presumed immunity are advised to stay home for 21 days and monitor for symptoms. Anyone exposed to measles should also talk to their healthcare provider to understand their individual risk of measles and should consider postponing routine medical care at least 21 days from their last exposure.
The first symptoms of measles usually appear about 7-14 days after exposure: fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes, and/or white spots in the mouth. A red rash—usually beginning near the hairline and moving downward—typically begins about 2-3 days after the first symptoms.
If you develop symptoms, you should continue to stay home except for testing or urgent/emergency treatment. Please call Benefis Health System at 406-731-8300 to arrange for testing or urgent care. It is extremely important that you do not enter a clinic building without calling ahead to the clinic so that precautions can be taken to avoid exposing others.
You are presumed to have immunity to measles if you: have written documentation of adequate vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); OR laboratory evidence of immunity; OR laboratory confirmation of disease; OR were born before 1957.
If you are not sure of your vaccination status, call CCHD at 406-791-9242 to check your Montana electronic vaccine records and/or for direction on other ways to obtain your records.
For more information, click here to visit the CCHD website
MEASLES IN MONTANA
According to the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services, all 17 cases of measles in the state are Montana residents, and newly-identified cases are isolating.
The 17 cases have been reported in four counties in Montana: 10 in Gallatin; three in Hill; two in Flathead; and two in Yellowstone. Two of the cases required hospitalization.
Five cases of measles were reported in Gallatin County in April 2025 - the first confirmed measles cases in Montana since 1990.
In Hill County, the three cases were all unvaccinated children, and all were reported in May.
The Yellowstone County cases were an adult and a child — both unvaccinated — who became ill while traveling outside of the country. Those cases were confirmed this week by the Yellowstone County health agency, who said that the two cases had fully recovered and were no longer contagious by the time they returned to Yellowstone County.
No details have been released about the two cases in Flathead County.
ABOUT MEASLES
From the DPHHS website:
Measles is a highly infectious airborne disease that typically begins with a fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, white spots in the mouth, and a red rash that appears about 14 days after exposure. The rash usually starts on the face and spreads downward to the rest of the body.
It is particularly dangerous for infants for whom vaccination is generally not recommended until 12 months of age. Maintaining a high level of vaccination in the community helps protect infants who are too young to be vaccinated, as well as individuals who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
Measles continues to be prevalent in many regions worldwide, resulting in an estimated 300 deaths every day. Cases in the U.S. are generally rare but have been increasing in recent years.
The best way to protect against measles is vaccination. No changes have been made to the existing measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine recommendations in the United States. Two doses of MMR, a measles-containing vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella, are 97 to 99 percent effective in preventing measles. Measles vaccines have been available in the U.S. since 1963, and two doses have been recommended for children since 1989.
DPHHS also says that measles is highly contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person has it, 9 out of 10 people around him or her will also become infected if they are not protected. The agency says you can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after that person has left.
An infected person can spread measles to others even before he or she develops symptoms—from four days before they develop the measles rash through four days afterward.
ACROSS THE U.S.
At the end of May, the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported 1,088 cases spread across 33 states, including Montana.
That’s up from just 285 confirmed cases of measles last year and is the highest number of measles cases our country has seen in six years.
The worst of the outbreaks has been in the South Plains region of Texas, where more than 600 cases have been reported, most in children under the age of 19.
If you are concerned that you have measles or may have been exposed to someone with measles, please contact your county or tribal health department or primary care provider before seeking care, if safe to do so, for instructions about how to avoid exposing others.
