Measles virus is circulating in Washington County, and families in Tigard and Tualatin face a Sept. 1 school-opening deadline to get their children vaccinated.
Oregon Health Authority wastewater monitoring detected measles in Washington County sewage beginning Aug. 1, according to Oregon Capital Chronicle reporting published Thursday, Aug. 13. The detection means at least one infected person was living in the area, said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and epidemiologist for OHA.
The virus is spreading. The state has confirmed 45 measles cases in 2026, surpassing Oregon's previous peak of 31 cases in 2024, which had been the highest annual count in more than three decades. In 2025, Oregon recorded just one case.
Tigard-Tualatin School District opens for the 2026-27 school year on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Vaccination rates below safety threshold
Statewide, only 85.6% of Oregon kindergarteners were up to date on required vaccines in the 2025-26 school year, well below the 93% rate epidemiologists say is needed to prevent outbreaks. Nonmedical vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners hit a record 10.9%, up from 6.9% a few years earlier. More than a third of Oregon's K-12 schools now fall below the herd immunity threshold.
Washington County's K-12 vaccination rate was 93% in the 2024-25 school year, right at the minimum threshold, according to Washington County Public Health data. The county's last confirmed measles case before the current outbreak was in 2019.
In November 2025, Washington County Health Officer Dr. Christina Baumann warned that diseases like measles "can spread quickly among unprotected students, especially in indoor spaces like classrooms, school hallways and child care," and urged families to keep vaccinations current.
Health departments strained
Local health departments are struggling to keep up. Many lost funding after federal COVID-19 dollars expired, and OHA has scaled back its measles investigation guidelines to reduce the burden on local agencies.
Multnomah County, where most of Oregon's 2026 cases have been confirmed, is feeling the pressure. "Traditionally, a measles case was an immediate emergency," county spokesperson Dennis Theriault said. "With the sustained increase in cases and reduced funding for public health, we do not have the resources to respond in the same way."
Sidelinger warned that the U.S. is likely to lose its measles elimination status, in place since 2000, by this fall. Nationally, the CDC reported 2,465 confirmed cases as of Aug. 6, already surpassing the 2,289 cases recorded in all of 2025. Nearly half of U.S. cases occurred in people ages 5 to 19.
What parents should do
Oregon law requires two doses of the MMR vaccine for kindergarten entry, though parents can file medical or nonmedical exemptions. One dose provides 95% protection; a second boosts effectiveness to 97% for life.
Any unvaccinated child exposed to measles must stay out of school, child care and health care settings for 21 days under state law.
Parents can look up vaccination rates by school on OHA's website. Washington County Public Health offers vaccination resources through Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center (503-601-7400) and Neighborhood Health Center (503-941-3016). The Vaccines for Children program provides low- or no-cost shots for children ages 0-18 enrolled in Oregon Health Plan, uninsured, or American Indian/Alaska Native.
