In just 26 days from the time of the detection of the first positive measles case in the Denver area in early 2026, state and local health departments spent at least $491,175. This does not include expenditures for extra preventive measures by neighboring health agencies, local school districts, first responder agencies, etc. According to the Washington Post, in those 26 days one adult and nine children tested positive, 91 people were quarantined, 68 tests were ordered, and 512 days of school were missed by students who were infected or quarantined. There were 189 staff members from state and local health departments involved in dealing with the outbreak, spending a total of 6,876 hours.
Yet local health officials say that these 10 cases were easier, quicker, and cheaper to deal with than many similar outbreaks, due to the fact that the middle and high schools involved had exceptionally high vaccination rates. A recent study would suggest that those 10 cases would expect to cost $600,000, based on the national average cost of $60,000 per each individual measles case.
