Press Release
Public Health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Potential Measles Exposure at Valley View Elementary School

Kittitas County, WA - 04/23/2026 - The Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) is working with Valley View Elementary school in response to potential measles exposures at the school. With 3 current confirmed measles cases, Kittitas County will be considered in outbreak status by the Washington State Department of Health.

Exposures have occurred in the following locations and times:

• April 8, 2026, to April 15, 2026, Valley View Elementary School

 
Please follow the steps below based on your vaccination status if you were at the location above during any of the dates listed.

• If you know your vaccination status and you have 2 measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccines, you do not need to quarantine and can remain at school.  Records must be available to show the vaccination status.
• If you know your vaccination status and you have 1 MMR vaccine, you can remain in school.  We ask that you monitor closely for any symptoms.
• Individuals born before 1957 are generally considered immune. You do not need to quarantine.
• If you do not know your vaccine status or you do not have any MMR vaccines, then you need to quarantine and call your medical provider.  Please stay home and do not expose others.

 
Staff, teachers, and volunteers from Valley View Elementary will need to provide their current vaccination status for MMR directly to the Kittitas County Public Health Department.
 
If you have been exposed, do not have any vaccinations, or have a vaccination and are having symptoms, please notify any medical provider in advance and do not visit in person without speaking with that provider first.  Our goal is to minimize exposure and stop the spread of measles.
 
We are working closely with the school to provide information, so that caregivers and parents know what to do.  At this time, students who are not vaccinated cannot be at the school until the incubation period is over after May 5, 2026.
 
Because this is an elementary school, students are at increased risk of measles and measles side effects.  The MMR vaccine is required to attend school, so the guidance above applies to students who have an exemption or students who may not be in compliance with the requirement.
 
The best protection against measles is a two-shot regimen of the MMR vaccine. To confirm you and your family are protected against the virus, please visit https://myirmobile.com/ to review your vaccination history online. If you received the MMR vaccination at a provider’s office or pharmacy, you could also contact that agency for your record. 
For more information about measles, please visit https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/illness-and-disease-z/measles.   If you have questions about your vaccination status, please contact your local healthcare provider.  Measles is highly contagious, so we want to reiterate to call before you visit a medical facility if you believe you have been exposed or are symptomatic.
 
If you have additional questions, please reach out to the Kittitas County Public Health Department at 509-933-8301.
 

 

• Potential Measles Exposure at Valley View Elementary School.pdf

Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us

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Contact: Kasey Knutson, Public Information Officer, 509-962-7515