The Maricopa County Department of Public Health is warning of possible measles exposure at a kids basketball game in Mesa last weekend.
The game was hosted by Arizona Youth Sports at Highland Junior High School, 6915 E. Guadalupe Road in Mesa, on April 11. Anyone who was in the gymnasium from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. that day should watch for symptoms through May 2.
The department also recently warned of possible measles exposures in Queen Creek at a Costco on April 3, a Walmart on April 4 and the Generation Church Queen Creek on April 5.
Symptoms of measles typically appear seven to 12 days after exposure but may take up to 21 days to appear. Symptoms include high fever, cough and a rash that is red, raised and blotchy. The rash begins after other symptoms, usually on the face at the hairline and moves down the body.
Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known. The virus can linger in the air for two hours after an infected person coughs or sneezes. And the virus will infect 90% of unvaccinated people who come in contact with it.
Arizona has confirmed 299 cases of measles since June of 2025 – the highest case count in the state in decades. Most of those cases have been in Mohave County, around the remote community of Colorado City.
So far in 2026, public health officials have confirmed six measles cases in the state's most populous county, Maricopa. The latest Maricopa County case had no known source of exposure, which officials say is an indication that measles is spreading in the community.
“What we really need our community to do is check on their vaccine status,” said Sonia Singh, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
Singh said the department encourages those who have not received the MMR vaccine to get it.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, 97% of measles cases in Arizona since 2025 have been among unvaccinated people.
“The most important thing to know is measles cannot be treated, but it can be prevented,” Singh said.
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