A federal inmate held at the Hidalgo County jail in Southern New Mexico has tested positive for measles, the New Mexico Department of Health announced Tuesday.
It’s the state’s first confirmed case of measles in 2026 after an outbreak last year caused one death, seven hospitalizations and 100 infections — including five in Santa Fe County.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday reported 982 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. since the start of 2026, with major outbreaks in South Carolina and Utah.
“This new case reminds us that risk for measles did not end following the 2025 statewide outbreak,” New Mexico’s chief medical officer, Dr. Miranda Durham, said in a news release. “We continue to encourage everyone in New Mexico to be fully vaccinated against measles.”
The state Health Department has not publicly identified any sites where there was risk of exposure to the infected person, but is coordinating with Hidalgo County to minimize the risk of spreading the disease using proper quarantine, isolation, testing and vaccination protocols.