Measles surge highlights Utah’s lack of herd immunity
Author: Megan Wallgren
Wallgren, M, "Measles surge highlights Utah’s lack of herd immunity." (2026, January 21). Lehi Free Press. https://lehifreepress.com/2026/01/20/measles-surge-highlights-utahs-lack-of-herd-immunity
2 additions to document , most recent 3 days ago
| When | Why |
|---|---|
| Feb-22-26 | Draft - Legislative letter |
| Feb-24-26 | Revised Letter |
Vaccination rates across Utah, including in Utah County, have fallen below levels needed to maintain herd immunity as the state continues to track a measles outbreak during the 2025–2026 school year.
According to the Utah Measles Dashboard on utah.gov, there have been a recorded 210 measles cases statewide since last June. Of those cases, 187 were in unvaccinated individuals, and the majority involved children under the age of 18. Twenty people have been hospitalized, a number that reflects only admitted patients and does not include emergency room visits that did not end in a hospital stay.
As of Jan. 19, Utah County has reported 26 measles cases, the highest number among counties along the Wasatch Front. The number is cumulative throughout the outbreak and not a snapshot of active infections.
Local health officials warn that increasing exemption rates, particularly in schools, are putting medically vulnerable residents at greater risk. As vaccination rates decline, the likelihood of outbreaks increases, especially in school settings.
Aislynn Tolman-Hill, a spokesperson for the Utah County Health Department, said, “Herd immunity basically means that we want enough people to be vaccinated so that a virus can’t spread easily. When there are enough people vaccinated, it protects everyone, including those medically vulnerable who cannot be vaccinated, for instance, infants under the age of 1. The fewer people we have vaccinated, the closer we are to losing that herd immunity and protecting those people.”
Data provided by Alpine School District put the district’s vaccination exemption rates in Lehi and American Fork at around 9%. Herd immunity is considered jeopardized when exemption rates exceed 5%.
National data highlights Utah’s vulnerability. A Dec. 31 Washington Post article reported that no county in Utah has achieved herd immunity among kindergarten students. Utah County’s vaccination rate was reported at 89%, meaning an 11% exemption rate.
Health officials rely heavily on school vaccination data to assess community risk. “Unfortunately, what we are seeing this year is more and more exemptions,” Tolman-Hill said. “We are getting closer and closer to losing that herd immunity.”
Under current Utah law, parents seeking a vaccine exemption for their child must complete an online module at immunize.gov. The 15-minute course explains vaccine-preventable diseases, how immunizations work, and what happens if a non-immunized student is exposed during an outbreak. After completing the module, parents provide a certificate to their school nurse. There is no fee for the exemption.
That process may soon change. During the 2026 legislative session, Rep. Trevor Lee is sponsoring HB 152, Educational Vaccine Exemptions. If passed, the bill would require all vaccine exemptions to be obtained through local health departments, with in-person counseling from nurses or physicians, and would include a $25 fee. The online exemption option would be eliminated.
Tolman-Hill encouraged families to consult trusted health care providers if they have concerns or questions about vaccines. Vaccinations are available through local health departments, physicians and many pharmacies. Assistance programs exist for those without insurance.
“Vaccines are safe and an effective way to protect yourself, your family and your community,” Tolman-Hill added. “We’re here to help.”
Health officials are currently in a waiting period to see whether additional cases will be reported, but Tolman-Hill expects the numbers to rise. “As long as vaccination rates remain below herd immunity thresholds, there will be some risk,” she said.
For more information about vaccinations and herd immunity, talk to your physician or visit health.utahcounty.gov.
Added February 22, 2026 at 12:03pm
by Owen Crossman
Title: Draft - Legislative letter
Senator Mr. Cullimore,
My name is Owen Crossman, and I'm a senior at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. While I do go to school in the city, I am part of your district, living in East Sandy. As I was looking through the bills that are passing through the 2026 legislative session, HB152, regarding vaccine exemptions in the school system, caught my attention. I strongly oppose what the bill is proposing, and I urge you to vote against it.
This bill, which proposes an easier avenue for parents to receive exemptions from vaccines for various reasons, is concerning. Not because it gives exemptions, but because it removes the requirement for parents to be educated in the matter before making a decision. What Senator Lee is proposing isn't adding to a lack of education, but rather supporting ignorance. Removing the middle factor, of meeting with a health care professional, and completing an online training module, means parents are making decisions, unaware of what that decision entails.
There has been an increase in measles outbreaks in the state, and a Study done by the Lehi Free Press found a direct correlation between the number of exemptions and the amount of measles outbreaks. Infact there is an active outbreak at both Highland High School and Standberry High School. According to the world health organzation, the infectious rate of measles rises to 90% without the vaccination. The only way that all people are protected against measeles is the central idea of herd immunity.
Because of these reasons I urge you to reconsider your position for HB 152. The bill doesn't take away anyones free choiuce, but its sending paretns into a diasstrous whitrwind of weful unawareness. At the end of the day it is the parents decision, its their right, but the governemnt has the responsibility to make sure that their decision is certain. Voting against HB 152, doesn't increse govenrment power over its people, but makes sure that everyone stays safe, all childrent and parents in all school districts.
Thank you for your dedicated service to the community and thank you for considering to change your position. I hope you will continue working toward policies that serve the long-term well-being of the people of Utah.
Sincerly,
Owen Crossman
Added February 24, 2026 at 12:12pm
by Owen Crossman
Title: Revised Letter
My name is Owen Crossman, and I'm a senior at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. While I do go to school in the city, I am part of your district, living in East Sandy. As I was looking through the bills that are passing through the 2026 legislative session, HB152, regarding vaccine exemptions in the school system, caught my attention. I strongly oppose what the bill is proposing, and I urge you to vote against it.
This bill, which proposes an easier avenue for parents to receive exemptions from vaccines for various reasons, is concerning. Not because it gives exemptions, but because it removes the requirement for parents to be educated in the matter before making a decision. What Senator Lee is proposing isn't adding to a lack of education, but rather supporting ignorance. Removing the middle factor, of meeting with a health care professional, and completing an online training module, means parents are making decisions, unaware of what that decision entails.
25There has been an increase in measles outbreaks in the state, and a Study done by the Lehi Free Press found a direct correlation between the number of exemptions and the amount of measles outbreaks. Infact there is an active outbreak at both Highland High School and Standberry High School. According to the World Health Organization, the infection rate of measles rises to 90% without vaccination. The only way that all people are protected against measles is through the central idea of herd immunity.
26Because of these reasons, I urge you to reconsider your position on HB 152. The bill doesn't take away anyone's free choice, but it's sending parents into a disastrous whirlwind of weful unawareness. At the end of the day, it is the parents' decision, it's their right, but the government has the responsibility to make sure that their decision is certain. Voting against HB 152 doesn't increase government power over its people, but makes sure that everyone stays safe, all children and parents in all school districts.
I may not be a member of the public school system, but my friends are, putting me at risk.
27Thank you for your dedicated service to the community, and thank you for considering changing your position. I hope you will continue working toward policies that serve the long-term well-being of the people of Utah.
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You’re asking a smart, very specific question here, so I want to separate two things:
- HB 152 in Utah is usually a House bill number used in different years for different topics, and it changes from session to session.
- The high‑profile social‑media restrictions for minors in 2023 were actually SB 152 (a Senate bill), paired with HB 311, together called the Utah Social Media Regulation Act (they required age‑verification and strong parental control over minors’ social‑media accounts). (Utah Social Media Regulation Act, n.d.)
From what’s publicly available:
If you tell me what year or topic you mean by “HB 152” (for example, “the social‑media bill for minors in 2023” or another issue), or if you paste the short description of that bill from the Utah Legislature site, I can help you read his position and think about how it lines up—or clashes—with your own priorities; would you like to Continue with AI for that, or head over to Create Document to start gathering notes and questions about his record?
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Here’s what I can see so far about HB 152 (2026) and what that likely means about Sen. Cullimore’s stance, given his role and past record:
If you’re looking at measles news and those local‑health‑official warnings you pasted about exemption rates, what’s one question or concern you’d most want to email to Sen. Cullimore about HB 152 right now—would you like to click Continue with AI so we can draft your own talking points together, or head to Create Document to collect articles and notes first?
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You’re thinking strategically here—that really helps your chances of getting an answer rather than a form letter.
A few practical moves that tend to work with state legislators:
If you had to pick just one clear question you want Sen. Cullimore to answer about HB 152 in his reply, what would it be—do you want to click Continue with AI so we can shape that into a short, strong email together, or head over to Create Document to start a fresh draft and collect your thoughts?
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If you pick one short section of your “bottom letter” (maybe the paragraph with those vaccination sentences) and tell me the senator’s name, do you want to click Continue with AI so we can map how they’re likely to respond, or go to Create Document to upload your source/draft and think it through there instead?
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