Pima County's first measles case of 2025 confirmed on New Year's Eve

Pima County confirmed its first measles case of 2025 on New Year's Eve, officials say.

The infected person traveled into Arizona from Mexico and crossed through Santa Cruz County before arriving here, Dr. Theresa Cullen said Friday at a news briefing.

"We were able to rapidly assess the situation with this individual, put appropriate case management in place and ensure that the community was protected," Cullen said, noting that the risk to the community is low.

The county health department received a positive measles test result on Dec. 31, she said.

Cullen would not provide more detailed information about the infected individual.

The measles case comes as the county — and the rest of Arizona — already is dealing with a rise in cases.

While flu cases here are below spikes seen in other states, it prompted Banner Health to institute mandatory masking at all facilities, citing a “significant surge in seasonal influenza.”

Masking will be required for patients, visitors and staff in all Banner locations where patients are present until further notice, Banner said.

“This measure is necessary because older patients and those with immunodeficiencies are at heightened risk and these extra precautions will help safeguard our most vulnerable populations,” said Marjorie Bessel, MD, Banner Health Chief Clinical Officer. “Our top priority is to protect our patients, staff, and the communities we serve by reducing the spread of the virus.”

Measles rare in Pima County

The last time a measles case was confirmed in Pima County was in 2019, Cullen said.

Health officials here are working with health officials in Santa Cruz County and the Arizona Department of Health Services to investigate the new measles case.

The case adds to a statewide measles tally that has reached the highest number of cases in more than 30 years. Measles cases are also spiking in other parts of the world, too, including in Mexico, the Arizona Republic has reported.

There is no known public exposure involving the Pima County case, health officials say.

Cullen said the individual developed symptoms after crossing the border and was hospitalized within 24 hours of getting to Pima County. The person remained hospitalized and was stable, she said.

The last measles outbreak to hit Pima County was in 2008, when one diagnosed individual spread the measles to 16 other people.

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Outbreak at Arizona-Utah border

An ongoing outbreak of measles at the Arizona-Utah border spiked measles cases statewide in 2025.

Arizona, as of Dec. 30, had reported 205 measles cases for 2025, including 200 in Mohave County, where the ongoing outbreak is centered, according to the Arizona Republic. The Arizona-Utah outbreak, which totaled 314 cases as of Dec. 30, has resulted in 23 hospitalizations, including seven in Arizona, according to data from Utah and Arizona health officials.

No deaths have been reported.

Measles is highly contagious, but is preventable.

Vaccination is the most effective protection, health officials say.

Measles can spread through direct contact and infected surfaces. It can live in the air for up to two hours.

Symptoms typically appear 14 days after exposure and may include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a rash.

Flu cases rising in Arizona

The new sub-variant of influenza A, H3N2, is leading to higher infection rates, although the seasonal vaccination remains effective against severe disease and hospitalization.

Cullen noted that influenza vaccine uptake over the past year has been between 50% and 60% of what it has been in the past, except in those over the age of 65.

"There’s no reason why anyone interested in getting vaccinated wouldn’t be able to get that in Pima County," Cullen said of the flu vaccine.

"Pima County is experiencing increasing levels of influenza as evidenced by increases in laboratory confirmed cases, increased percentage of Emergency Department (ED) visits and admissions due to influenza," the county said in a memo Friday. "In the past two weeks, Pima County has experienced a doubling of confirmed influenza cases week over week, and in the last week of December 2025, cases exceeded our 5-year average."

Arizona's influenza activity has not reached the "very high" influenza activity levels of several other states, including New York, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The designation levels are based on outpatient visits to health providers for influenza-like illnesses, the Republic reported.

For the week ending Dec. 20, the flu activity level in Arizona was "moderate," the CDC data analysis shows. It's also moderate in Utah, but high or very high in all of Arizona's other neighboring states.

Flu cases in Arizona for the week ending Dec. 20 were up by 89.7% over the previous week, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services' influenza dashboard. Yet even with that significant jump, case numbers for that week were relatively low at 1,609, and total case numbers for the season are well below both the five-year average and the number of cases at the same time in 2024.