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Board of Health: Colorado measles cases noted statewide; Montezuma County reports no local cases
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Summary
Montezuma County health officials reported 13 confirmed measles cases in Colorado since Jan. 1, 2026 (all outside Montezuma County), a record influenza season with over 5,000 statewide hospitalizations, and local hospitalizations of 21 flu and 8 RSV patients since January; harm-reduction kits were also distributed.
Bobby Lock, director of the Montezuma County Public Health Department, briefed the Board of Health on communicable-disease trends on April 7, saying Colorado has recorded multiple confirmed measles cases this year but Montezuma County has had none.
"Since 01/01/2026, the state of Colorado has been 13 cases of confirmed measles," Lock said, and added that the cases have been concentrated in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield and Weld counties. He said Montezuma County had not seen any measles cases in 2026.
Lock told the board that influenza has been "a record breaking influenza year" statewide, with more than 5,000 hospitalizations across Colorado. He said the current season is dominated by influenza B after a predominance of type A in 2025. Locally, staff reported 21 individuals hospitalized for flu and eight hospitalized for RSV since January; transcript notes indicate no current hospitalizations for COVID-19.
On harm-reduction efforts, Lock said the health department has distributed a significant number of fentanyl test strips to community partners and continues to share Narcan kits, though walk-in distribution has decreased. "We gave out 500 of them to one of our community partners," he said.
The medical officer, Jocelyn Hirschman, thanked staff for bringing the health fair and immunization efforts back to the county and noted community interest in restoring local services.
Board members asked whether seasonal flu vaccines remain available locally; staff said they would check current supply and noted a state vaccine vehicle that will carry a broader inventory for healthcare clinics when it visits.
The board did not take formal action on disease control measures at the meeting; staff said they will continue surveillance and host the state mobile immunization clinic at the upcoming health fair to assess vaccine uptake.
The meeting adjourned with the board scheduling a follow-up after-action review of the fair and confirming the next board meeting for July 7 at 1:30 p.m.
