Confirmed Measles Exposure Reported At Trumbull School: Town

TRUMBULL, CT — A confirmed case of measles involving a child was recently reported at a Trumbull school, the first case of measles in Connecticut in over four years.

In a notice posted to the town website Thursday, Trumbull officials said the town's administration and the Trumbull Health Department were notified of a confirmed case of measles involving an unvaccinated child under the age of 10 at Christian Heritage School, a private school that teaches students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

According to the town, local health officials are working closely with the school's administration and the Connecticut Department of Public Health to ensure all proper precautions are being taken to ensure the health and well-being of all students, faculty and residents.

Trumbull health officials will continue to closely monitor the situation and update the community, according to the town.

The town also provided a letter sent Thursday to Christian Heritage School parents by the Trumbull Health Department, which is available to read in full here.

In the letter, health officials said a member of the school community with measles was present at the school on Dec. 4.

Unvaccinated or undervaccinated children and adults, including those who have a medical or other exemption to vaccination, must be excluded from school for 21 days after their most recent exposure, which the letter noted was through Dec. 25.

Parents of students who are unvaccinated or undervaccinated will be contacted by the school nursing department, health officials said.

According to the letter, measles is a viral infection that spreads through coughing and sneezing and is very contagious.

Most school-aged children who are fully vaccinated with two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine are protected from measles, however three in 100 people who have received two doses of MMR vaccine will still get measles if exposed to the virus, according to the letter.

"Therefore, we want to provide you with information about measles and the signs and symptoms to look for in your child," the letter reads. "Usually about 8-12 days (but up to 21 days) after exposure, measles begins with a mild to moderate fever accompanied by cough, runny nose and red eyes. Two or three days later, the fever spikes, often as high as 104-105°F. At the same time, a red blotchy rash appears, usually first on the face, along the hairline and behind the ears. The rash rapidly spreads downward to the chest and back and, finally, to the thighs and feet."

According to the letter, most students with measles are sick enough that they miss at least a week of school. One in every 20 people with measles develops pneumonia.

More rarely, serious or even life-threatening complications can occur, health officials said.

"If your child is not in compliance with the MMR requirements, they should receive a dose of MMR vaccine, unless there is a valid, documented medical reason why they cannot receive the vaccine," the letter reads. "We recommend that you contact your healthcare provider for immunization as soon as possible."

For families who do not have a healthcare provider, their child may receive the immunization for a fee by appointment at the Trumbull Health Department, located at 335 White Plains Road, by calling 203-452-1030, according to the letter.

"If your child develops an illness with fever (101°F or more), cough, runny nose or red eyes, with or without rash, immediately call your doctor and let them know about your child's exposure and symptoms so that they can tell you what to do next," the letter reads. "Your doctor can make special arrangements to evaluate you, if needed, without putting other patients and medical office staff at risk. Keep your child at home until the doctor and the school staff have cleared him/her to return."

Anyone with questions is encouraged to call the Trumbull Nursing Department at 203-452-5090 or the Trumbull Health Department at 203-452-1030. More information about measles is available on the CDC website.

On Wednesday, the state Department of Public Health announced a confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated Fairfield County child under the age of 10 but did not identify the town where the case was reported.

This is the first case of measles in Connecticut in more than four years. Nationwide, more than 1,800 cases of measles have been reported in 2025 — the most since the virus was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 and the most cases in more than three decades, according to the International Vaccine Access Center.

According to the DPH, the child recently traveled internationally and began showing symptoms of measles several days later.

Those symptoms included cough, runny nose, congestion, fever and eventually a rash starting at the head and spreading throughout the body.

See also: Measles Case Confirmed In CT: Here's Everything You Need To Know

According to the CDC, 9 out of 10 unvaccinated individuals who encounter an infected person will become infected with the measles virus.

Measles can be dangerous, especially for children under the age of five. About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the U.S. who get measles end up being hospitalized, officials said.

Symptoms of measles generally begin 7–14 days after the exposure to an infected person. A typical case of measles begins with mild to moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and sore throat.

Three to five days after the start of these symptoms, a red or reddish-brown rash appears, usually starting on a person's face at the hairline and spreading downward to the entire body. At the time the rash appears, a person's fever may spike to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

"The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated," DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani said in a news release. "One dose of measles vaccine is about 93% effective, while two doses are about 97% effective. We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most — children and other vulnerable people — from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination."

DPH, the American Academy of Pediatrics and several other organizations recommend children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.

A total of 98.2 percent of Connecticut students were vaccinated with two doses of MMR by kindergarten, health officials said.

The state's MMR vaccination rate is the highest in the country, officials said.