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PHILIPPI – The Barbour County Health Department has announced that a case of measles has been confirmed within the county, the first confirmed case of measles in West Virginia since 2024.
A social media post by the department over the weekend stated that “one confirmed case of measles has been identified in Barbour County. Out of an abundance of caution, contact tracing is being completed at this time.
“If you are having any of the symptoms below, please contact your health care provider BEFORE being seen by them so they can prepare for your arrival!
“MMR vaccine is the best prevention! Please call the health department at 304-457-1670 with any questions.”
The West Virginia Health Alert Network stated that, “The West Virginia Department of Health (DH) has confirmed a case of measles in an 𝐮𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭. State health officials are working closely with Barbour County Health Department staff to investigate the case and conduct contact tracing.
“DH is not aware of any broader community public exposure for the confirmed case, however, in an abundance of caution, we are alerting clinicians to the presence of measles in Barbour County and asking providers to consider measles in patients who present with compatible symptoms.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of July 23, 2026, there have been 2,318 confirmed measles cases in the United States. West Virginia had not had a confirmed measles case since April 2024.”
Nationwide, there have already been more confirmed measles cases this year than in all of last year.
The number of measles cases in the U.S. has surpassed the record-breaking tally for all of 2025, with five more months of 2026 still to come.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logged 2,318 cases of measles as of Thursday, according to an agency update on Friday.
The nation had 2,289 cases in 2025, the worst year for measles in more than three decades. Now, 2026 has easily become the U.S.'s worst year for measles since 1991, as major outbreaks in South Carolina, Utah and Arizona have sickened hundreds and smaller clusters of cases sparked in other states.