(ATLANTA, GA.) - Health officials in Georgia confirmed four new cases of measles in Atlanta on Friday.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), the four cases were in close contact with a measles case that was confirmed on Aug. 18. The children were either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, according to DPH.
Health officials are working to identify other people who may have been exposed. DPH has not yet named the daycare or pinpointed its location within metro Atlanta.
The four new cases increase the total number of measles cases in Georgia this year to 11, according to reports from local media based on the latest data from DPH. Georgia reported 10 measles cases in 2025.
What parents should know
Measles is an infectious disease spread through the air through the act of coughing and sneezing by an infected person. The virus can linger in the air or on objects for up to two hours after the infected person leaves an area.
Symptoms normally appear within seven to 14 days of being exposed and include fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes, which are then followed by the development of a rash that starts in the head and spreads to the whole body.
The measles, mumps, and rubella, or MMR, vaccine can prevent measles. The CDC recommends two doses for children, with the first given between the ages of 12 and 15 months and the second one between the ages of 4 to 6.
If you believe yourself or your child has developed the symptoms or may have been exposed to the disease, DPH recommends contacting a health care provider prior to visiting a doctor’s office, a hospital or a public health clinic. This will give the medical professionals a chance to prepare themselves for the visit and prevent further exposure to other patients.
The federal vaccine schedule may change, too
The news about the measles cases comes amid the Trump administration's efforts to modify the federal childhood vaccine schedule.
On August 10, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to revise its recommendations concerning routine childhood vaccinations.
The revisions would reduce the number of vaccines that are recommended to be administered to all children, and reclassify some vaccines so that the decision whether to vaccinate will be made jointly by the parent and the doctor.
The administration is also looking to separate the combined MMR vaccine into three vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella.
For parents in Georgia, the guidance from the state health officials currently remains the same: vaccination is the best way to prevent measles, and anyone who believes they might have been exposed should contact a health care provider before visiting any facility in person.
Georgia health officials are still investigating the metro Atlanta outbreak and identifying those who may have been exposed.
To add or correct any information in this story, please contact me at mia.s@lead4earth.org.
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