Georgia health officials have identified a potential measles exposure at a steakhouse in Perry, prompting them to urge people present during an Oct. 7 evening visit to assess their immunity.
The Georgia Department of Public Health said a person with measles visited Longhorn Steakhouse at 100 Hampton Court while infectious. Its alert covers 7–10 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7 at the restaurant in Houston County.
The person is an unvaccinated Macon County resident who had contact with a confirmed measles patient from Pennsylvania, the department said Oct. 13. The resident had no known travel history. Georgia had recorded 22 cases in 2026 by that announcement, compared with 10 in all of 2025.
Separately, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,286 confirmed cases across 42 counties in its Oct. 19 update. The state's figures included 247 hospitalizations and five confirmed measles-associated deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recorded 4,410 confirmed U.S. cases as of noon EDT on Oct. 15. Its data show measles, mumps and rubella vaccination coverage among kindergartners fell from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4% in 2025-2026. The agency says outbreaks can occur in clusters of unvaccinated people.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, Georgia officials said. The virus can remain airborne for up to two hours after that person departs. The department estimates that one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine provides about 93% protection against measles, rising to about 97% after two doses.
Officials asked people present during the restaurant's exposure window to check their vaccination status. Fever, cough, a runny nose and watery eyes can precede a rash. Anyone who develops symptoms should call a health care provider before going to a medical office or hospital. People who have neither vaccine protection nor immunity from a past measles infection should continue watching for symptoms through Oct. 28.
