Update On Bergen County Measles Patients And NJ Case Numbers Released

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Following a measles outbreak in Bergen County among three unvaccinated people last month, a spokesperson for the state told Patch Friday that all three have recovered, and gave more information on case numbers.

A patient with measles landed in a Bergen County emergency room on Feb. 9, and two more people with the highly contagious virus were reported later in the month, according to the state. The first person had traveled internationally, and the other two cases were close contacts of the first, the state said.

The Record of Hackensack later reported that the first person was a child who had also spent time at an urgent care facility in Fort Lee and at Hackensack Medical Center, besides visiting the Englewood Hospital Emergency Room.

State Department of Health spokesperson Dalya Ewais said Friday that she could not confirm the details about the other facilities, or answer questions about the patients' ages. She also declined to comment on whether the three patients were part of the same family.

But she gave an update on their health status.

"All three were unvaccinated, and all three have recovered," she said. "No new cases have been reported."

Because the disease is so contagious, it requires at least 95 percent of a local population to be vaccinated in order to prevent its spread, health officials say. In America, most children are vaccinated around age 1.

The state has been updating case numbers on their website each Friday.

The state is asking anyone who was in contact with the three infected patients to contact a health provider to get checked out. Someone in contact with the first person could develop symptoms as late as March 6, the state said. READ MORE: Bergen County Resident Brought Measles Into Hospital Emergency Room

National Numbers Climb; 2 Deaths Reported

On Friday at noon, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta reported their updated national numbers, including two deaths.

They said that cases have now climbed to 222 for 2025.

An outbreak in Texas has spread to New Mexico. One child has died in the Texas outbreak, the CDC has said, and they are also investigating the death of a second person in New Mexico, they said.

The CDC has not released the age of the second person, who is from Lea County, New Mexico.

94 percent of the people testing positive for measles in 2025 have been unvaccinated, they said. Another 4 percent have had only one dose of the two-dose vaccine.

79 percent of the 164 measles cases documented in the United States have been people 19 or under.

Officials say measles can be "particularly dangerous for young children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems."

Stopping The Spread

A measles vaccine was licensed for public use starting in 1963. The Americas were declared free of endemic measles by 2016, but suffered a setback two years later due to gaps in vaccines in other countries that led to outbreaks there, scientists say.

The virus can cause respiratory and neurological problems, pneumonia, vomiting, and other symptoms.

Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin, the state of New Jersey said.

The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet. Measles can also cause serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and can lead to miscarriage in pregnant people, premature birth, or a low-birth-weight baby.

The state of New Jersey said, "Those who may have been exposed or who suspect illness should call their health care provider first before arriving at any facility so that necessary infection prevention precautions can be taken to protect other patients and staff. NJDOH is working in collaboration with local health officials on ongoing contact tracing and on efforts to notify people who might have been exposed and to identify additional exposures that may have occurred."

They noted, "The virus spreads easily through the air when someone coughs or sneezes and can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area. People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person.

"Individuals at risk include those who have not been fully vaccinated or have not had measles in the past," they noted.

An outbreak is defined as three or more related cases by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

New Jersey Cases

In New Jersey, the state said, "As of Feb. 20, two secondary cases of measles have been identified. The new cases had close contact with the index case. The individuals had been under quarantine, minimizing any additional potential exposures. All three cases associated with this situation are unvaccinated. As of today, there are a total of three measles cases in NJ in 2025. A total of seven measles cases were reported in NJ in 2024."

The state's Department of Health is working in collaboration with local health officials to identify and notify people who might have been exposed during the time the individuals were infectious, they said. The state urged residents to ensure they are current on all routine vaccinations, especially MMR vaccinations, which have been in use for more than 50 years.

Anyone who was in the Englewood Hospital Emergency Department on Feb. 9, between 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., should contact a health provider,
they said.

For more information, click here.