Overview
- In Mesa County, Colorado, measles RNA appeared in wastewater on August 4–6, 2025, preceding two confirmed patient diagnoses the following week and ultimately seven lab-confirmed cases.
- A sample collected August 6 in Mesa County showed a very high concentration of measles virus RNA at 944,000 gene copies per liter, and sequencing identified genotype D8.
- Retrospective testing in Oregon found wild-type measles in archived samples from April 3, 2024, roughly 10 weeks before the first confirmed case, with higher concentrations aligning with the outbreak peak.
- CDC authors report wastewater surveillance can signal local measles transmission before and during outbreaks, while cautioning that nondetection does not exclude cases and incomplete sequencing can limit linkage.
- A White House budget proposal would reduce CDC’s national wastewater program funding from about $125 million to $25 million, a system that currently covers more than 1,300 sites and 147 million people, though some in Congress have pushed back against cuts.