**Health Officials Warn of Measles Exposure Linked to National March for Life Rally in Washington, D.C.**
Health officials are warning that confirmed cases of measles may have spread during this year’s National March for Life rally and concert in Washington, D.C. Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators gathered at the National Mall and other locations in the nation’s capital for the annual event at the end of January.
The D.C. Department of Health is actively working to identify individuals who may be at risk. “DC Health was notified of multiple confirmed cases of measles whose carriers visited multiple locations in the District while contagious,” the agency stated in a press release on Sunday. “DC Health is informing people who were at these locations that they may have been exposed.”
**Potential Exposure Sites**
Between January 21 and February 2, potential exposure sites included major transit hubs such as Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Union Station, an Amtrak Northeast Regional train, and D.C.’s subway system. In addition, infected individuals visited the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Catholic University.
Children’s National Hospital also issued a public health notice concerning potential exposure in its Emergency Department. The notice revealed that a Virginia resident confirmed to have measles visited the emergency room while contagious on February 2.
**National Measles Outbreak**
The United States is currently facing its largest measles outbreak in decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 733 confirmed cases across 20 states so far this year, as of last Thursday. The CDC reports that 95% of these cases involved individuals who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
South Carolina has experienced a significant outbreak that began in October 2025, quickly surpassing a previous outbreak in Texas. Cases in South Carolina continue to rise, with the Department of Public Health reporting 44 new confirmed cases on Friday, bringing the state total to 920. While officials noted that the rate of new infections had slowed earlier last week, they warn that recent exposures may have occurred at several locations, including a Target store in Taylors, S.C., and the Social Security Administration office in Spartanburg, S.C. The outbreak remains centered in Spartanburg.
**Calls for Vaccination**
In a Sunday interview on CNN’s *State of the Union*, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz urged all Americans to get vaccinated against measles. Although the Trump administration has recently rolled back the number of diseases recommended for immunization, federal guidance for measles vaccinations remains unchanged.
**International Concerns**
Global health authorities have expressed concern over the spread of measles in the U.S. The World Health Organization’s Pan American Health Organization has invited U.S. representatives to a meeting in April to review the country’s measles elimination status. There is a real risk that the U.S. could lose its status as a nation that has eradicated measles.
It is also notable that the Trump administration formally completed its withdrawal from the WHO last month.
**Advice for Those Potentially Exposed**
D.C.’s Health Department advises anyone who may have been exposed to measles—and who is either not fully vaccinated or has a compromised immune system—to promptly contact the health department or their healthcare provider.
Stay informed and take appropriate precautions to help slow the spread of measles. Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent infection.
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/08/nx-s1-5705972/measles-march-for-life-dc-reagan-national-union-station-metro