California’s public health officials have warned of the possibility that measles could be spread to multiple counties following a passenger who was infected but not vaccinated and traveled across California via Amtrak and throughway buses.
This warning is issued as the US experiences its biggest measles outbreak in over three decades. The cause of this outbreak has been largely attributed to a growing hesitancy towards vaccination.
California’s department of health reported that the traveler made multiple transfers while passing through six counties: Alameda Butte Kern Los Angeles Sacramento San Joaquin.
The passenger arrived at Los Angeles, California via Amtrak on the 10th of September. The traveler then continued on to Bakersfield, before continuing through Stockton and Oroville. They also passed by Sacramento, Emeryville and Sacramento, finally leaving California for Denver.
According to health officials, measles has been spread by passengers onboard trains, buses and people inside stations on dates when the exposure occurred.
It said that it was working closely with local and federal health departments and partners to notify and identify those who might have been affected.
In a press release, Rita Nguyen, assistant public health officer for the state of California, said that this case and previous outbreaks of measles in California in recent years serve as reminders about the importance of measles vaccination. “The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and provides long-lasting protection against measles. The vaccine protects our families as well as those too young to receive a full vaccination.
Pennsylvania has the nation’s largest active outbreak of measles. On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced that 731 measles cases had been confirmed in 38 counties. In Pennsylvania, at least four deaths have been linked to measles.
Pennsylvania has requested emergency help from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as this outbreak is spreading. The state officials warned that if the CDC does not publicly acknowledge the deaths associated with measles, the request may be withdrawn. Robert F Kennedy Jr., the US Health Secretary, had previously told the CDC to refrain from doing so.
Kennedy, who led the Children’s Health Defense, a group that was anti-vaccination for almost ten years, in Washington DC earlier this week.
In his address, he only mentioned the outbreak of measles in Pennsylvania one time. Instead, he spread unfounded fear about vaccinations when experts were urging people to get vaccinated against measles.
In our country, we are concerned about deaths and rare diseases. Every child that dies of measles is a tragedy. “They get the headlines,” said he. I’d like you to be concerned about the children that are suffering, dying, or getting injured due to vaccine-related injuries.
Amtrak was also involved in a recent incident of mass exposure that prompted the California warning.
A person with the measles was found on an Amtrak train that traveled from Sedalia in Missouri to Chicago in Illinois. This exposed more than 250 individuals in Jackson County to this virus.

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The death of Richard Branson’s wife, Lady Joan Branson, could have been prevented if she had received medication to prevent blood clots, a British coroner reportedly found.
Lady Branson died at 80 after being admitted to the hospital in November 2025 after a fall weeks earlier on Necker Island, a British Virgin Island owned by her billionaire husband.
Her cause of death was determined to be a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in which a blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks an artery, the BBC reported.
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Senior coroner Fiona Wilcox told Westminster Coroner’s Court earlier this month that Lady Branson did not receive preventive anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, at the hospital despite a “very high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis,” according to the outlet.
According to testimony during the legal inquest, Lady Branson’s biggest risk factors included her immobility after a fracture following her fall.
“I do find her death would have likely been prevented and the lack of anticoagulation did cause or contribute to her death probably,” Wilcox said.
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Wilcox added, however, that the case was not one of neglect because Branson did receive medical care.
The inquest, she said, was to “explore the facts, come to the correct conclusions and learn lessons from this,” The Independent reported.
During the inquest, doctors gave differing testimony about whether bleeding risk justified withholding the medication, namely enoxaparin, an injectable blood thinner commonly used to help prevent blood clots in hospitalized patients.
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The hospital’s admitting doctor, Dr. Basir Kunduzi, testified that he did not complete a bleeding risk assessment on the day of Lady Branson’s admission.
Kunduzi said Lady Branson’s death led him to “reflect on [his] role as a doctor” and the importance of “good communication between team members,” according to the BBC.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the hospital for comment.
The findings highlight the lifesaving role of blood thinners, which are often used in hospitals to help prevent DVT in patients who are unable to move normally after surgery, fractures or prolonged bed rest. They can increase the risk of bleeding, however, so doctors must weigh both risks before giving them.
Nearly all hospitalized adults should receive some form of blood clot prevention, either with blood-thinning medication or mechanical devices that help keep blood flowing in the legs, Dr. Jared Ross, a South Carolina-based emergency medicine physician, told Fox News Digital.
“In the vast majority of cases, the benefits outweigh the risks,” Ross, who was not involved in the inquest or Branson’s care, added.
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A spokeswoman for Sir Branson said the family does not plan to comment on the inquest and pointed to the numerous social media posts he has made for his wife.
“Life will never be the same without her,” Branson wrote on Instagram last year, calling her the “shining star” of the family. “But we have fifty incredible years of memories — years filled with tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that shaped our family more than words could ever capture. It was a relationship that worked. We just had lots of laughs. We were very lucky.”
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Although pulmonary embolisms can be life-threatening, prompt treatment greatly improves the chances of survival, making early recognition critical.
Symptoms of DVT can include swelling, pain or tenderness, warmth and redness in the affected leg or arm, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a clot travels to the lungs, may cause shortness of breath, chest pain that worsens with deep breathing or coughing, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, coughing up blood, lightheadedness or fainting.
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The CDC and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute say anyone with symptoms of a pulmonary embolism should seek immediate medical attention.

Florida recorded its first confirmed dengue fever death of 2026 earlier this month, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Gay Small of Hillsborough County died on Sept. 4 — her 80th birthday — from complications of a dengue infection, including septic shock and multi-organ failure, after she was bitten by a mosquito near her home on Bayshore Boulevard, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“Cheated, just, you know, it’s so unfair because she was in good health, and she worked hard to stay healthy, and she walked, and she ate right and you know, all the things that you’re supposed to do,” Small’s daughter, Anna Small, told Tampa’s WFLA Channel 8.
DANGEROUS MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUS SPREADS IN ONE STATE AS OFFICIALS WARN OF RISING CASES
“And you know, this virus just kind of comes out of nowhere. She met the wrong mosquito, and that’s it,” Anna Small said.
Small’s family said they believe Gay Small first caught dengue years ago while traveling abroad but didn’t know it. People who have had dengue before are much more likely to develop severe symptoms.
“While in the hospital, Small said her mother was weak, her hands turned red, and she had trembles that she could hear in her voice,” reported WFLA. “She had to go into the ICU by the middle of the week.”
Small’s late husband, Bob Small, spent his career working on dengue vaccines, according to the couple’s daughter.
The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death Friday after completing its investigation, but did not release additional information, WFLA reported.
The Times, citing University of South Florida public-health instructor Kristi Miley, reported that a dengue death had not been recorded in the Tampa Bay area in nearly a century.
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Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral illness that can cause fever, severe aches, nausea, rash and, in rare cases, life-threatening complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The virus is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, including Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa. Though less common in the continental U.S., locally acquired cases have been recorded in Florida, California and Texas.
Florida mosquito-control agencies have stepped up surveillance, inspections and spraying, as locally acquired dengue fever cases — which means people contracted the illness where they live rather than while traveling abroad — have climbed in recent weeks.
The Times reported that since July, Florida “has been experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of locally caught cases.” Hillsborough County, where Small lived, “has been at the epicenter of the epidemic.”
Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are under mosquito-borne illness alerts issued by the Florida Department of Health.
“Dengue does not stop at county lines,” Pinellas County Mosquito Control Director Alissa Berro told Fox 13.
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“The mosquitoes that transmit the virus generally stay within a relatively small area, but people travel throughout the Tampa Bay area every day,” he said.
“When someone infected with dengue enters a new area, a local mosquito can bite that person and later spread the virus to others. As cases rise across the region, so does the potential for additional local transmission.”
In addition to increasing aerial and ground treatments in areas showing dengue virus activity, Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Services has also been inspecting private properties for potential mosquito breeding sites, according to local reports.
The increased application of insecticide and larvicide by helicopters appears to be working, the Times reported, as, “Of the last 1,500 mosquitoes they’ve sent for testing, all have returned negative for dengue.”
The Florida Mosquito Control Association (FMCA) is urging residents to empty or cover standing water around their homes. The mosquito that spreads dengue is a container breeder, meaning it lays eggs in buckets, planters, plant saucers, tires, discarded toys and other objects that collect small amounts of water, experts say.
The FMCA also advises people to follow what it calls the “three Ds.”
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Dress in long sleeves, light colors and closed-toed shoes outdoors.
Defend with a repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
Dump standing water from containers around the home, and check yards regularly.
Many people infected with dengue have no symptoms, and most people who do become sick recover within a week or two, according to Mayo Clinic. In some cases, however, the illness can progress to severe dengue, a potentially life-threatening condition.
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Warning signs can develop quickly, often within a day or two after the fever subsides. Those may include severe stomach pain, repeated vomiting, unusual bleeding or bruising, difficulty breathing, extreme tiredness and irritability, or restlessness. People experiencing warning signs of severe dengue should seek immediate medical care.

Feeling wiped out most days? Statistically speaking, you’ve got company. A new report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics finds nearly three-quarters of US adults say they’ve felt “very tired or exhausted” at least some days in the past three months, and about 1 in 6 feel that way most days or every day. Women and young adults 18 to 34 report the highest levels of frequent fatigue, with older adults (65 and up) claiming the lowest levels. Rates are also higher among American Indian and Alaska Native adults, and among people living in the South and Midwest.
The report frames fatigue as more than feeling sleepy: It’s physical or mental exhaustion that doesn’t ease with rest and is tied to higher risks of disability, poorer health, and even a risk of earlier death. People reporting frequent fatigue were more likely to also struggle with anxiety, depression, and thinking or concentration problems. The survey, based on about 27,000 adults in 2024, didn’t examine causes, and researchers say fatigue remains under-studied.
“The findings are concerning, but not surprising,” says addiction specialist Matt Glowiak, who wasn’t involved in the report, per Healthline. “Many Americans are trying to balance work, family responsibilities, financial pressures, and ongoing uncertainty about the future.” Mayo Clinic specialists recommend basics like consistent sleep, regular exercise, and stress-management tools such as meditation, per USA Today—and say persistent fatigue belongs in a doctor’s office, not just on your to-do list.
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Just as Americans are dealing with the tail end of the “summer surge,” the fast-approaching respiratory illness season has COVID-19 on the minds of health care providers once again.
The United States experienced a cycle of rising cases in the late summer, part of a multi-year pattern colloquially called the “summer surge.” Another seasonal uptick is expected come fall as cold and flu season starts in October, experts previously told USA TODAY.
Data from WastewaterSCAN, a Stanford University-led tool that tracks disease presence by testing wastewater samples nationwide, shows that COVID-19 is in the “high” category as of Sept. 18, with August levels up 168% compared with July. Concentrations of the coronavirus detected in wastewater have doubled each month since June.
The CDC, on the other hand, categorized activity as “low” nationwide, though its data is less up to date. Several states had “high” or “very high” activity, concentrated mostly in the South and West.
“We do seem to be seeing a slight decline, but there continues to be week-to-week variation,” Dr. Andi L. Shane, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. “While it is difficult to predict what we will see in the coming months, our plan is to be prepared for increases, especially as we prepare for the respiratory viral season.”
Here’s what to know about the latest data.
See map of where COVID-19 activity is high
One way the CDC tracks infectious disease is through wastewater monitoring. Wastewater, or water that has been used by humans, can come from sources like toilets, sinks, showers, manufacturing plants, businesses and storm runoff, and contain pollutants, organic matter, pathogens, and whatever else was introduced to it by people.
Nationally, COVID-19 viral activity was categorized as “low” by CDC wastewater data the week ending Sept. 12. It was “high” or “very high” in Texas, California, Washington, and Florida.
What is the most common COVID-19 variant?
The CDC has transitioned to using a longer timeframe to release model-based projections about COVID-19 variants because of low reporting from states.
According to the CDC’s latest data projection for the four weeks ending Aug. 1, variant SW.2 was the most common, accounting for 21% of cases, followed by XFG.1.1 at 16% of cases.
WastewaterSCAN noted the most prominent strain as XFG, which was present in 65% of samples analyzed on Sept. 12.
XFG is a variant of Omicron and was first detected in Southeast Asia in January 2025. It has several sublineages (XFG.1.1, XFG.14.1, etc.) and was responsible for the majority of cases last year, accounting for at least 70% in August 2025.
BA.3.2, better known as “cicada,” also tends to appear on infection lists and has been detected in wastewater, though still in low concentrations.
Most strains carry similar symptoms, said Shane, including body aches, chills, congestion, cough, runny nose, fatigue, fever and headache. BA.3.2 has been associated with a symptom called “razor blade throat,” or an exceptionally sore throat. Some strains also carry a higher likelihood of stomach issues, infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Medicine Dr. Luis Marcos told USA TODAY.
“There are other symptoms that COVID may present, not just cough or shortness of breath,” Marcos said. “It can also present with GI symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.”
Can you get a COVID-19 vaccine?
Pediatricians’ offices, Departments of Public Health, and retail pharmacists have COVID-19 vaccines available, Shane said. “The COVID-19 vaccines are approved for people age 65 and older as well as for anyone with a condition that puts them at high risk of severe illness,” Shane said. “People who wish to get vaccinated but don’t qualify as high risk may also be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.”
Until 2025, COVID-19 vaccines carried a broad recommendation for most Americans. That changed when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed healthy children and pregnant women from the CDC’s recommended schedule, breaking with expert guidance.
The FDA later approved updated COVID-19 vaccines only for adults 65 and older and younger people with underlying health conditions, a policy that remained in place for 2026. As of Sept. 3, the CDC recommends the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine through shared clinical decision-making, meaning people should consult a health care provider to weigh the benefits and risks based on their individual circumstances.
CVS, one of the most popular retail pharmacy locations for vaccinations, said in a Sept. 3 announcement that it had updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccines available “for eligible patients based on state regulations” at pharmacies, while its MinuteClinic locations provide “vaccinations for patients beginning at 18 months of age.”
COVID-19 vaccines are low- or no-cost with most insurance plans, the company said.