The recent outbreak of measles in Buckingham County has our attention, and the attention of the Virginia Department of Health, which is launching a new measles dashboard, so that we can all keep up with what’s going on.
To date in 2026, VDH has reported 40 cases of measles; 17 are related to the outbreak in Buckingham County.
We had five cases statewide in all of 2025.
Thanks, anti-vaxxers.
“It’s important for Virginians to know what is happening in their communities in real time,” said Dr. Cameron Webb, the State Health Commissioner. “This dashboard is our commitment to being as transparent as possible about the impact of measles across the Commonwealth. When people have clear, accessible information, they can make informed decisions to protect themselves and their families.”
The dashboard shows how many measles cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have been reported.
You can also see case numbers by age, health district, and other key factors.
Updates will be posted Tuesdays and Thursdays around noon.
VDH also has a dashboard reporting the percentage of local populations that has received the two-dose series of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines – and it tells us that the percentage of 7-year-olds in Buckingham County that has completed the MMR series is at 80.1 percent.
Because measles is one of the most contagious diseases known, the standard community immunity threshold for the MMR vaccine is considered to be 95 percent.
If you were wondering why there’s an outbreak there, now you know.
Folks in our area – Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro – take note.
The VDH dashboard has the percentage of the 7-year-old population that has completed the two-dose series at 91.4 percent in the county, 88.0 percent in Staunton and 92.2 percent in Waynesboro.
That’s borderline alarming, and more alarming are these data points: the percentage of 2-year-olds who have completed the first dose is just 63.4 percent in Staunton and 77.5 percent in Waynesboro.
Augusta County’s 2-year-old population is beyond the 95 percent first-dose threshold, per the dashboard.
The MMR vaccine is the best protection against measles. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective.
If you or a loved one are not up-to-date with routine MMR vaccines, contact your healthcare provider or call your local health department to schedule a vaccine appointment today.
People who live in or visit the Buckingham County area should talk with their healthcare provider about outbreak vaccine recommendations.
This includes considering an early MMR dose for infants older than six months to provide protection while measles is circulating in the community.
Measles is highly contagious and can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Most people in Virginia have immunity to measles through vaccination or previous infection with measles.
For more information about measles, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles.
For additional questions, contact VDH’s Call Center at 877-829-4682 (Option 2 then Option 3 “Other”), The VDH Call Center is available Monday–Friday (except holidays) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Chris Graham
