Morganton, NC — Burke County Public Health has been notified of the county’s first confirmed case of measles. To protect patient privacy, no information about the individual will be released.
Individuals who were identified as having direct exposure are being contacted by Burke County Public Health Communicable Disease Nurses to conduct contact tracing and provide guidance.
Community members who visited the following locations during the dates and times listed below may have been exposed:
• February 13th, 2026
o Walmart Supercenter – G120 Morganton Heights Blvd, Morganton, NC 28655
(Burke County) 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• February 14th, 2026
o NY Hibachi Buffet, 2128 US Hwy 70 SE, Hickory, NC 28602 (Catawba County)
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
o Bo’s Family Entertainment – 1115 Blowing Rock Blvd, Lenoir, NC 28645
(Caldwell County) 7:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
• February 17th, 2026
o UNC Health Blue Ridge – Valdese ER – 720 Malcolm Blvd. Valdese, NC 28690
(Burke County) 9:00pm – 3:30am
• Those who have visited these locations need to monitor possible symptoms occurring
through the dates of:
o Walmart through March 6th
o NY Hibachi Buffet and Bo’s Family Entertainment through March 7th
o UNC Health Blue Ridge – Valdese ER through March 10th
• If you were at an exposure site and are uncertain of your current MMR vaccine status and would like to have that checked please call Burke County Public Health at (828)- 764-9150 to speak with a Communicable Disease nurse.
700 E Parker Road Morganton, NC 28655
If you were present at any of the Burke County locations during the specified times and developed symptoms consistent with measles, please contact Burke County Public Health at (828)- 764-9150 for further guidance.
If you were present at any of the Caldwell County locations during the specified times and developed symptoms consistent with measles, please contact Caldwell County Public Health at (828)-426-8400 for further guidance.
If you are a Catawba County resident and were present at the Catawba County location during the specified times and develop symptoms consistent with measles, please contact Catawba County Public Health at (828) 695-5769 for further guidance.
What is Measles?
Measles is a highly contagious, acute viral illness transmitted through airborne respiratory droplets. Symptoms typically appear 7–14 days after exposure and may include:
• High fever (104°F or higher)
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red, watery eyes
• Rash
• Tiny white spots inside the mouth (Koplik spots), which may appear two to three days after symptoms begin
What to do:
1.) If you believe you have measles not related to this exposure, first please stay home to decrease risk of spreading.
2.) Contact Burke County Public Health at (828)- 764-9150 or your primary care physician for guidance on next steps.
The most effective way to prevent measles from spreading is through the MMR vaccine. To learn more about the MMR Vaccine please visit https://www.dph.ncdhhs.gov/programs/epidemiology/immunization/details/mmr-vaccine.
To schedule a MMR vaccine appointment with Burke County Public Health please call (828)- 764-9150 to make an appointment.