The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed a measles case in a child between the age of 5 and 12 in Buckingham County.
The child was exposed to measles locally, and the VDH believes the virus is circulating in the county. It is likely that there are more cases than have been reported, the department said in a May 8 news release.
“We believe it’s highly likely that they must have been exposed to measles here in Virginia. However, there have not been any cases in the Central region of Virginia within the three weeks leading up to this person’s illness,” said Emily Rich, vaccine-preventable disease epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health. “That means that there must have been unreported case or cases we were not able to identify of measles that this person would have been exposed to.”
The fact that VDH didn’t list any places of possible exposure publically means that there were no known places of public exposure, she said.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease with nine out of 10 unvaccinated people becoming infected at contact, said Rich. One out of five would need hospitalization.
The disease spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person sneezes, coughs or breathes, and the virus can survive on surfaces for up to two hours.
It is also preventable through vaccination. In Virginia, 95% of kindergartners are vaccinated against measles, according to the VDH, though vaccination rates are lower in some communities.
“MMR vaccines are safe and effective, and that is the best way to protect yourself against measles. Two doses of MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, and that projection lasts your entire life,” said Rich.
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Check your vaccination status and learn more about measles symptoms
The Virginia Department of Health has reported a confirmed measles case in the Buckingham County area and encourages everyone to make sure they are up-to-date on their measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
To check your MMR vaccination status, visit the VDH Record Request Portal or contact your healthcare provider.
VDH encourages people with ties to Buckingham County area to talk to their healthcare provider about additional vaccine recommendations, which include receiving an early dose of the vaccine. For more information about the recommendations, scheduling a vaccine or learning about symptoms of measles, read VDH’s news release. If you believe you were exposed, you can report it here.
As of May 7, 2026, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 25 new outbreaks and 1,842 confirmed measles cases across the country. Of those, 92% of cases were among unvaccinated people or people with unknown vaccination status. No measles-related deaths have been reported in 2026. In 2025, three people died of measles — the first such deaths in the United States in a decade.
In Virginia, 22 cases have been confirmed so far this year.
The VDH recommends people living in the Buckingham County area ensure their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is current and monitor for measles symptoms, which appear in two stages. In the first stage, beginning seven to 14 days after exposure, most people develop a fever greater than 101 degrees, cough, runny nose and red eyes. A rash then appears three to five days later, spreading across the face and body.
Because of the confirmed case of measles, VDH said people who live in or visit Buckingham County should discuss additional vaccine recommendations with their healthcare provider. You can read those recommendations here.
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