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A traveler with measles rode Amtrak across six California counties, officials warn
September 20, 2026
Health officials in California say a traveler with measles rode Amtrak from Los Angeles on September 10 across six counties before leaving the state for Denver.
Growing vaccine hesitancy has driven the largest measles resurgence the US has seen in more than three decades, and at least four people in California have died from measles-related illness.
Key facts
- Officials said the traveler reached California aboard an Amtrak train pulling into Los Angeles on 10 September.
- Earlier in the week, an infected rider was said to have taken an Amtrak train out of Sedalia, Missouri, toward Chicago, Illinois, leaving upward of 250 people exposed in Jackson county alone.
- The traveler went on from there to Bakersfield, then on to Stockton, Oroville, Sacramento and Emeryville, before finally leaving the state for Denver.
- Rita Nguyen, who serves as the assistant public health officer for the state, stated: “This case, along with previous measles outbreaks in California this year, serve as reminders of the importance of vaccination against measles.”
The Guardian reports that the passenger entered California aboard an Amtrak train arriving in Los Angeles on September 10. From there, by the same account, the traveler went on to Bakersfield, then through Stockton, Oroville, Sacramento and Emeryville, and left the state for Denver. The Los Angeles Times carries the event as well, telling readers that a person infected with measles rode Amtrak across six of the state's counties, on the word of officials.
Rita Nguyen, an assistant state public health officer, said in a statement that this case and California's earlier measles outbreaks this year "serve as reminders of the importance of vaccination against measles". The Guardian reports that the state is now identifying and notifying possible contacts alongside federal partners and local health departments, and that a separate Amtrak trip earlier in the week, from Sedalia, Missouri, to Chicago, exposed more than 250 people in Jackson county alone. Growing vaccine hesitancy sits behind the largest measles resurgence the US has seen in more than three decades, The Guardian reports, and at least four people in California have died from measles-related illness.
The route, the September 10 arrival and the warning itself are corroborated: the two named outlets describe the same trip through the same six counties, with no difference of substance between their accounts. What the notification effort finds, and how many riders it reaches, is the part the record leaves open.
Children's Health Defense said, “In our country we care about rare illnesses and deaths. We care about every child who dies from measles. They get headlines.”
Children's Health Defense
Still developing
State, federal and local health departments are working to identify and notify people exposed on Amtrak, by the time of draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- The Guardian — California warns of measles exposure in six counties from unvaccinated train passenger
Toggle read the full reports of 2 of the 3 outlets counted on this event. The other 1 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.