Hawaiʻi's first case of measles in years has been confirmed on Oʻahu in an unvaccinated child under age 5, local health officials announced during a press conference Tuesday.
The Hawaiʻi Department of Health said the child recently returned from international travel with their parents, became sick, and is now recovering at home. A household member with similar symptoms is being evaluated for possible measles infection.
DOH said it is actively investigating, issuing flight notifications, contacting those who may have been exposed, and alerting health care providers.
DOH said people may have been exposed to measles if they visited these locations during the specified times:
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu
- C gates, customs and baggage claim area on March 30 from 10:50 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Terminal 2 departures, TSA checkpoints, and the gate area for Delta flight 309 to Atlanta, Georgia, on April 4 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Mānoa Valley District Park art class on April 1 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Queen’s Island Urgent Care Kapahulu on April 4 from 8 a.m. to noon
“The last confirmed case occurred in 2023, and additional travel-related cases are not unexpected," DOH Director Dr. Kenneth Fink said.
Health officials have been urging residents to stay alert and get their children vaccinated as measles cases continue to rise nationally and internationally.
Gov. Josh Green signed emergency rules Tuesday that allow parents to get their children vaccinated against the measles virus while still retaining their religious exemption from other school vaccination requirements.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 600 cases nationwide this year, as of April 3. For comparison, 285 cases were reported in the U.S. in all of 2024.
Symptoms usually begin seven to 14 days after exposure and can include a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. A red rash may appear later, starting on the face and upper neck and spreading to the arms and legs.
Measles spreads through direct contact with an infected person or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to DOH. An infected person can spread measles to others from four days before developing the rash through four days afterward.
“There’s no need to panic — but there is a need to act,” Green said Tuesday. “The best thing you can do to protect your family, your community and our keiki is to get vaccinated."
DOH officials said that if you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any action in the event of possible exposure.
Hawai‘i’s MMR — measles, mumps, and rubella — vaccination rate is 89.8% — below the 95% threshold needed for community, or herd, immunity, according to the governor's press release.
Officials previously said the MMR vaccination rate for Hawaiʻi kindergartners was 90% for the 2023-2024 school year, below the national average of 93%.
Some schools on Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island reported vaccination rates below 75% — lower than the 82% vaccination rate in Gaines County, the epicenter of the Texas-New Mexico measles outbreak.
