• Posted February 5, 2026

Measles Spreads to College Campuses as Cases Rise Across 17 States

Measles is now extending beyond families with young children, with outbreaks reported on college campuses and communities across the country.

At least 12 people have tested positive for measles at Ave Maria University in Florida, near Naples, since Jan. 29, according to local officials. Three people were taken to the hospital.

A student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also tested positive after traveling overseas. 

Earlier this year, Clemson University in South Carolina confirmed a measles case linked to someone with ties to the school.

It takes only three cases of measles for health officials to declare an outbreak. 

So far in 2026, at least 17 states have reported infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Josephine Miller, a junior at Ave Maria, told a local news station she suspects numbers may be higher than reported.

“I’m sure there’s a lot more. A lot of my friends have said people have come down with the sickness," Miller told WBBH.

University officials told students Sunday in a letter obtained by NBC News that the Florida Department of Health had sent a team to campus to help “manage response efforts.”

Meanwhile, the South Carolina Department of Public Health said 29 new cases have been confirmed in recent days, with 354 people still in quarantine. 

The state now has 876 total cases, most involving children and teens in Spartanburg County.

Utah and Arizona together have reported at least 505 cases.

In California, officials are watching closely after a child with measles visited Disneyland on Jan. 28 while contagious. No related cases have been confirmed yet.

A Disneyland outbreak in 2014–2015 infected 125 people across seven states, and were also linked to cases in Canada and Mexico.

South Carolina’s outbreak is now the largest in the U.S. since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. Before that, Texas reported 762 cases in 2025.

Common measles symptoms include:

• High fever (up to 104 degrees F) and headache

• Cough and runny nose

• Red, watery eyes

• Small white spots inside the mouth

• A red rash that starts on the head and spreads down the body

Health officials say about 1 in 10 people with measles need hospital care. Last year, three people in the U.S. died from measles, including two young girls.

More information

University of California - Davis Health has ways to prevent measles from spreading.

SOURCE: NBC News, Feb. 3, 2026