Measles detected in Charlotte wastewater

Mecklenburg County health officials urged residents to get vaccinated if they had not already done so or if they were unsure of their status.

Health officials detected measles in the Mecklenburg County wastewater system this week, a sign the virus could be circulating more widely in North Carolina than the number of confirmed cases suggests. 

The Mecklenburg County Health Department said in a press release on Monday that traces of the highly contagious virus had been found during routine surveillance of a sample from the Sugar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, a facility that processes more than 16.2 million gallons of sewage a day and serves approximately 108,000 households in Charlotte. 

There have been only five confirmed measles cases in the state so far and none in Mecklenburg County, health officials say. But South Carolina, a popular travel destination for North Carolinians, has more than 300 confirmed cases, one of the biggest outbreaks in the country. Three siblings in Buncombe County recently tested positive for the virus after returning from visiting family in South Carolina over the holiday. 

Mecklenburg County health officials urged residents to get vaccinated if they had not already done so or if they were unsure of their status. The Mecklenburg County Public Health Immunization Clinic is offering free or low-cost vaccines at all four locations, the county health department said, with no appointment necessary. 

Vaccines all but eliminated measles from the United States, but growing vaccine hesitancy has contributed to the biggest outbreak in the country since 1991. Of the 2,144 confirmed cases of measles in the United States in 2025, 93% were in people who were unvaccinated. 

“Vaccination remains the best tool we have to prevent illness and protect our community from a large-scale outbreak,” Dr. Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County Public Health director, said in the press release. 

“With measles detected in the county’s wastewater, now is the time to make sure your kids are up to date on their vaccines as cases continue to rise in the Carolinas and across the country. The measles vaccine is safe and highly effective.”

Measles, which can be fatal and cause life-long complications in survivors, is one of the most contagious pathogens around. It spreads through contaminated surfaces, sneezes, and coughs, and can linger in the air long after an infected person leaves the room. 

Measles is best known for a severe rash, but that doesn’t usually appear until about four days after a patient is contagious. Until then, a mild case could mirror a bad cold or the flu. It also has an incubation period from one to three weeks, which means reported cases often lag far behind actual cases. The virus can permanently damage your immune system, making you more susceptible to other illnesses throughout your life. Measles is especially dangerous for children. 

Wastewater testing can be a better metric of viral outbreaks than reported cases because any asymptomatic cases that get missed by doctors or patients will show up in the sewer system. Symptomatic measles cases also often go unreported because some parents who are hesitant to get the vaccine may also be hesitant to seek medical attention.

More than half the counties in NC have measles vaccination rates below what medical experts say is needed to ensure herd immunity.