Wastewater Data for Measles

What to know

  • Wastewater monitoring helps us understand the risk of measles at a community level.
  • CDC updates this data every Friday with the previous week's data. This allows for data to be reviewed for accuracy.
  • Data may change as more reports are received.

Measles detections in the past week

This interactive map shows current site-level wastewater detections of measles in wastewater. Each dot on the map represents a wastewater sampling site. Click on a state to zoom in.

Measles detections in the past six weeks

This searchable table shows site-level wastewater detections of measles for the past six weeks. The date in the column header is the last day for that week of sample collection. The table shows if:

+ Measles was detected at the site

- Measles was not detected at a site

  No Data  No measles testing data was reported

What the data can tell us

Wastewater monitoring detects viruses that can spread from one person to another within a community. It detects viruses from infected people, even if they do not have symptoms. Wastewater monitoring can detect viruses earlier than clinical testing and, in some cases, before sick people go to their healthcare provider or hospital. Wastewater monitoring can complement other data for measles.

  • Measles Detection: Measles was detected in at least one sample at a site during the week reported
  • No Detection: Measles was not detected in any of the samples at a site during the week reported
  • No Data: A site has not reported measles testing data for the week shown, but has reported measles testing data at least once in the past 8 reporting weeks

Learn more about wastewater monitoring at About CDC's Wastewater Monitoring Program.

Measles risk

The overall measles outbreak risk to the general population is low. However, measles cases are increasing globally, increasing the chance of importations into the United States and subsequent risk of outbreaks, particularly in communities with low vaccination rates.
Learn more about measles.

Public health response to detections

When measles is detected in wastewater, CDC works with state and local health departments to identify whether any people in the area have developed measles symptoms or have been recently diagnosed with measles. Together, CDC and health departments decide next steps, such as whether to alert local healthcare providers of potential cases, increase public outreach and education, conduct vaccination clinics, or take additional measures, as appropriate.

About the data

Data display

This page displays data from wastewater that was tested for the type of virus that spreads between people and can cause outbreaks, also called "wild-type measles virus." A detection of wild-type measles virus in wastewater means that people who currently have or recently had measles may be present in the community. This could include people who live or work in the community, or those who traveled through the community. It is still possible for there to be measles infections present in a community despite no wastewater detection.

Data display timeframes

This page displays data for the prior six weeks, which cover several incubation periods for measles virus and align with data display timeframes on other CDC webpages.

Data representativeness

Wastewater measles data available on this site may not represent all jurisdictions currently conducting monitoring. Some states and local health departments may publish additional data on their own webpages. CDC continues to work closely with partners to integrate these data into national reporting.

Additional resources

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Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)