The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first measles case in the state since 2019, according to a news release on Friday.

“The individual is an adult from Penobscot County who recently traveled to a state with measles cases,” according to the agency’s news release. “This individual was infectious from January 28 through February 5, 2026. The Maine CDC notified the facilities where potential exposure occurred and is working with them to inform potentially exposed individuals.”

The Maine CDC confirmed the case on Thursday. A spokesperson for the agency did not immediately respond to a request for more information late Friday.

People who were at St. Joseph Hospital’s emergency department in Bangor on Feb. 3 between 8:30-11 a.m. and at Hill View Mini Barns in Etna all day on Jan. 28 or Jan. 29 were potentially exposed and should take precautions, according to the Maine CDC.

Many parts of the country have experienced outbreaks of measles, a highly-contagious disease that used to be common before the measles vaccine became widely available in the 1960s. It was considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 by the World Health Organization. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 733 cases nationwide so far in 2026 and 2,276 cases in 2025.

Dr. Genevieve Whiting, secretary of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in an interview Friday that Maine’s strong pro-vaccination laws “reduces our risk of an outbreak.”

Maine passed a law in 2019 that eliminated religious and philosophic exemptions for school-required vaccines. Since the law went into effect in 2021, Maine’s vaccination rate has improved among K-12 students, according to the Maine CDC.

Whiting said the strengthened requirements don’t mean an outbreak in Maine is impossible.

“We continue to have people opting out of immunizations,” Whiting said. “There is still an opportunity for spread.”

South Carolina is the most recent state reporting a large outbreak, with 920 cases since October, 2025, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. Of the 920 cases, at least 840 were among people who were unvaccinated for measles.

Whiting said measles is a dangerous disease that can cause long-lasting or delayed complications. She said if a person who is not immunized is exposed to measles, “your chances of contracting it is nine in 10.”

“Of those who have measles,” Whiting said, “30% have complications.”

According to the U.S. CDC, complications could include encephalitis and pneumonia. Three people died from measles in 2025, according to the U.S. CDC. In addition to a rash, measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes.

Whiting said those who contract measles are also susceptible to other infections.