The Polk County Health Department confirmed a new measles case in a child on Wednesday triggering an investigation into multiple potential exposure sites across Ankeny and Des Moines.
Public health officials are working to identify and notify people who may have been exposed to the virus. The department describes it as “one of the most contagious infectious diseases.”
The child, who recently traveled internationally, has an unconfirmed MMR vaccination status, according to the Polk County Health Department.
Health officials identified several locations where the child was present while potentially contagious. Anyone who visited these sites during the specified windows is encouraged to complete a survey provided by the department to help track exposures.
| Location | Date | Time Window |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart, 1002 National Dr, Ankeny | Nov. 5 | 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| Hy-Vee, 410 N. Ankeny Blvd, Ankeny | Nov. 6 | 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
| UnityPoint Clinic Urgent Care, Ankeny | Nov. 8 | 10:10 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. |
| Blank Children’s Hospital Emergency Dept. | Nov. 8 | 11:30 a.m. – 5:20 p.m. |
Additional exposure windows at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Blank Children’s Hospital campus on November 8 included the emergency department waiting room from 11:25 a.m. to 1:35 p.m., the hallway to the inpatient elevators from 3:15 p.m. to 5:25 p.m., and the hospital’s fourth floor from 3:20 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
The inclusion of healthcare facilities in the exposure list has created concern among local officials regarding immunocompromised patients. “This case is something that is especially concerning because we do have the exposure sites in the healthcare facilities and Blank Children’s Hospital where we know we have a lot of other immunocompromised kiddos,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the Polk County Health Department, in an interview with Local 5.
Blank Children’s Hospital uses specialized rooms designed to contain contaminated air to manage such cases.
“Those negative airflow rooms, there's only a handful of them in any hospital in the United States and so you can see that you can quickly run out of those rooms and so it puts a large strain on the healthcare system,” Dr. Joel Waddell, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Blank Children's, told Local 5.
The Polk County Health Department is working alongside Iowa Health and Human Services and healthcare partners to identify potential exposures and prevent further spread.
Residents who are not fully vaccinated, have an infant who may have been exposed, are immunocompromised, or do not know their vaccination status are advised to contact their healthcare provider or the Polk County Health Department directly.
Fully vaccinated people or those who have previously had measles should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after potential exposure.
This case follows a surge in measles activity across the state. Iowa had recorded 50 confirmed cases for the year as of November 5, 2026, an increase from the nine cases reported in all of 2025.
The majority of this year’s cases occurred in people aged 5 to 19, with roughly two-thirds of the infections concentrated in southern Iowa, according to state officials.
State health authorities continue to urge vaccination. “When you have one safe alternative — a vaccine — and one very dangerous and potentially deadly virus, the choice — I think — comes pretty clear into view,” Waddell said.
Earlier coverage: Iowa HHS Identifies New Measles Exposure Locations in Keokuk and Osage
