Health officials in Washington, D.C., are warning that people may have been exposed to measles in locations across the city.
DC Health said in a statement that it “was notified of multiple confirmed cases of measles whose carriers visited multiple locations in the District while contagious.”
Among those locations is the annual National March for Life rally, which took place on the National Mall on Jan. 23 and had several high-profile speakers, including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
4 times as many measles cases in a few weeks than US typically averages in a whole year: CDC
Other locations include:
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Jan. 21
Catholic University of America on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 26,
Washington Metro transit lines on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27
Children’s National Medical Center emergency department on Feb. 2
“DC Health is informing people who were at these locations that they may have been exposed,” the department said in its release.
DC Health recommended that anyone who might have been exposed to measles contact their health care provider or DC Health for more guidance.
Heather Diehl/Getty Images – PHOTO: People attend the annual March for Life rally on January 23, 2026 in Washington, DC.
It comes as the U.S. has recorded 733 measles cases so far this year, with 92% of confirmed cases associated with outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Just six measles cases were reported among international travelers so far this year, according to CDC data. The majority of cases have affected children or teenagers ages 5 to 19 and 3% of all cases have been hospitalized in 2026, CDC data shows.
A recent map from ABC News — in collaboration with researchers, which allows people to type in their ZIP code and see the measles risk in their area — found many counties at “very high risk” with fewer than 60% of children under age 5 receiving one or more measles vaccine dose.
The CDC says two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine are recommended, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.
However, federal data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2024-2025 school year, 92.5% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 92.7% seen in the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019-2020 school year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
