Raleigh, NC — Measles exposures are on the rise in North Carolina, with exposures now confirmed in Wake, Durham and Orange counties.
Shoppers in Wake and Durham counties could have been exposed to measles after infected people visited multiple stores and restaurants over the past week.
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In Wake County, someone infected with measles visited five locations in Raleigh on Feb. 5. In Durham, those exposures came at three known locations on Feb. 6.
In Orange County, a person infected with measles visited a Goodwill store on Weaver Dairy Road in Chapel Hill on Feb. 6. Anyone in the store between 9 a.m. and noon could be at risk.
Additionally, someone came to the emergency room Feb. 7 in Johnston County with measles.
"It's a little concerning how fast it's spreading," said one Wake County resident.
Doctors at the State Department of Health and Human Services said if you’re vaccinated and have been exposed, you’re almost certainly safe. If you’re not vaccinated, you’ll need to monitor for symptoms for the next 21 days.
Measles is "one of the most contagious germs we know of," said Dr. Brigette Fogleman, pediatrician and partner at Asheville Children's Medical Center. It has proven especially dangerous to children.
"We knew it was really of matter of when, not if, we were going to see more measles and measles outbreaks," State Epidemiologist Zack Moore said. "Measles is generally considered to be the most infectious disease known. So the likelihood of somebody who's not protected getting measles after an exposure is pretty high."
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Health and Human Services dashboard, as of Friday, 21 cases of measles have been reported in North Carolina since December 2025. It's a rise of three cases since the previous update on Tuesday.
In one case, a child was hospitalized in Nash County. Moore County added that there have been some concerns with some of the cases.
The state is set to update its measles dashboard again on Tuesday.
"We have had transmission in North Carolina, and we've had cases in North Carolina where we can't identify a specific exposure," Moore said.
All but three of the known cases in North Carolina this winter were in people younger than the age of 18. State data shows 71% of them had not been vaccinated. The state has a website that tracks the vaccination rates at school districts and individual schools within that district.
"It's scary," Fogleman said. "One out of three children less than 5 years of age will be hospitalized from some complication with measles. Pneumonia can happen in one out of 20 unvaccinated children."
Fogleman said that community vaccination serves to keep the youngest children -- those younger than age 1 who can't get vaccinated -- safe.
"We do our best with increasing our fighting power, and with high rates of vaccination, it keeps the virus from circulating as much," she said.
Measles exposure in stores, restaurant in Raleigh
Wake County Public Health said someone visiting from South Carolina and known to be carrying measles visited five locations in Raleigh's Brier Creek area on Feb. 5.
Health officials said anyone who has been vaccinated should be okay, but others should monitor for symptoms over the next 21 days.
Here are the locations:
- O2 Fitness, 7801 Alexander Promenade Place. The person was present at the gym between 1:30 and 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 5.
- Walgreens, 13301 Strickland Road. The person was in the store between 3:30 and 5:40 p.m. on Feb. 5.
- Everbowl, 7840 Alexander Promenade Place, Suite 125. The person visited the restaurant between 3:30 and 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 5.
- Harris Teeter, 13210 Strickland Road. The person visited the grocery storm between 5 and 7:10 p.m. on Feb. 5.
- Harris Teeter, 8345 Creedmoor Road. The person was in that store between 5:15 and 7:35 p.m. on Feb. 5.
Rebecca Kaufman, Wake County director of public health, said, "We're most concerned about people who are immunocompromised, young children who are not yet old enough to get vaccinated and pregnant women."
Those groups are at the highest risk for infection, she said.
She urged anyone who is not sure of their vaccination status to check with their doctor or county health department.
"Measles is one of the most highly contagious viruses," Kaufman said, "and even just being in the same room as someone who up to two hours earlier was there with the measles, you can contract the virus."
Measles in Durham at three locations
A person with measles visited three Durham County businesses on Feb. 6. Anyone who visited any of those locations on the same day may have been exposed to measles, county health leaders said.
Those locations are:
- Goodwill, 4318 Garrett Road. The person was in the store Feb. 6 between 10:20 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
- Chubby’s Tacos, 4711 Hope Valley Road. An infected person was in the restaurant between 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 6.
- Plato’s Closet, 8128 Renaissance Parkway. Anyone in the store between 12:45 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Feb. 6 may have been exposed to measles.
Measles patient at Johnston County hospital
The Johnston County Health Department on Wednesday said someone came to the emergency room at UNC Health Johnston in Smithfield on Saturday with measles. It is the first case of the infection identified in the county since 2018.
“As soon as the patient arrived, our emergency department team quickly masked and moved the patient to ... limit exposure,” said Tom Williams, CEO of UNC Health Johnston.
“We are prepared,” he added.
The Johnston County Health Department was reaching out to known contacts of that person to determine if others in the county may have been exposed to measles.
"We have not identified any additional places" where Johnston County residents may have been exposed to measles, Health Director Dr. Marilyn Pearson said.
Full vaccination prevents measles infection
Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease, spread through droplets in the air or on surfaces that come into contact with an infected person. If other people breathe the same air -- even hours later -- or touch the same surface, they can become infected.
Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a professor of medicine at Duke University and member of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, said that a measles infection is not pleasant. Even in a mild case, it can cause high fever and diarrhea. More serious complications are encephalitis, which is swelling in the brain, seizures, loss of hearing, brain damage or even death.
Measles is not like COVID-19, Wolfe said, where some people exposed to the virus never get sick. "There's a 90% chance that an unvaccinated person exposed to measles will get it."
The best way to protect against measles is to get the measles vaccine (MMR). It is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for anyone older than the age of 1. While MMR vaccination is not routinely recommended for children younger than the age of 12 months, MMR vaccination can be safely given to children as young as 6 months if they are at higher risk.
"If you have the vaccine, there is not much to worry about," said Dr. David Wohl, a professor of medicine and co-principal investigator of the Global UNC Infectious Diseases Clinical Trials unit.
"Two doses of MMR provides 97% effectiveness in preventing infection. You won’t even get sick.”
Those who are pregnant or have compromised immunity should talk to their doctor to weigh the risks of measles against getting the vaccine.
Infection can start days before rash is evident
The virus can live for up to two hours in the air where the infected person was present. Symptoms of measles usually begin seven to 14 days after exposure, but can appear up to 21 days after exposure and may include:
- High fever (may spike to more than 104 degrees)
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
- Tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums and roof of the mouth (Koplik Spots) two to three days after symptoms begin
- A rash that is red, raised, blotchy; usually starts on face, spreads to trunk, arms and legs three to five days after symptoms begin
- Measles can also cause complications, including diarrhea, pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and suppression of the immune system.
Anyone who develops symptoms should call ahead before visiting a doctor’s office, urgent care or emergency department to prevent possible spread to others.
"When South Carolina got its first cases, we all said it was just a matter of time, a matter of not if but when we will get cases,” Wohl said.
Nationwide, 11% of people who have gotten measles this past year have ended up in the hospital.
People who are not vaccinated or are unsure of their vaccination status should review their records, monitor for symptoms and contact Wake County Public Health, officials said.
People who were vaccinated between 1957 and 1968 should reach out to their doctor about getting a measles titer, which is essentially a test to make sure you still have immunity. Some of the vaccines given in that time are less effective than what’s being used today.
