ADPH: International traveler in Huntsville tests positive for measles

An international traveler who spent time in Huntsville in early October tested positive for measles, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) said Tuesday afternoon.

The individual visited the Subway at 7900 Bailey Cove Road in Huntsville on Oct. 3, 4 and 5 between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., and visited the Publix at 12796 Bailey Cove Road Southeast on Oct. 4 between 1 and 4 p.m., according to a press release. The statement did not list the individual’s vaccination status.

“In the United States, measles cases often originate from international travel,” a statement from ADPH said. “With many people traveling within the United States and to other parts of the world, ADPH emphasizes that the best way to protect yourself from measles is to get the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.”

A private laboratory reported the positive test result to ADPH, and the department advises all who were in the vicinity of the infected person to check their vaccination status and monitor for symptoms.

As of Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 4,080 cases reported by 47 states of the highly contagious virus. In 2025, there were 2,289 cases reported by 45 states. There are currently outbreaks in Pennsylvania, Utah, Maryland, Delaware and Wisconsin. 

One Alabamian has tested positive for the disease this year, but they were out-of-state and posed no threat of an outbreak to Alabama.

There was one confirmed case of measles in Alabama in 2025: an unvaccinated child in the northern part of the state who was under five years old. The child later recovered. 

Symptoms of the disease can take seven to 14 days to present after infection, and can be particularly dangerous for infants and young children. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes and a rash.

According to CDC and ADPH guidance, children should get the first dose of the vaccine between 12 and 15 months, and the second dose between 4 and 6 years old before starting school. Adults should get one or two doses depending on individual risk factors, according to the department.

According to the CDC, 94.3% of Alabama kindergarteners were vaccinated against the disease for the 2025-26 school year. In the 2024-25 school year, 95.2% of kindergarteners were vaccinated. Herd immunity against the disease is reached at 95% vaccination.  

Measles vaccinations are common globally, but vaccination levels vary country-to-country, according to data from the World Health Organization. The individual’s country-of-origin was not provided by ADPH.