San Diego County health officials are urging parents to vaccinate their children against measles as cases rise in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and immunization rates slip locally.

Measles was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, but public health experts say the disease is making a comeback as vaccine hesitancy grows nationwide.

There haven’t been any reported cases in 2026 in San Diego, but doctors say it’s only a matter of time.

Dr. Ahmad Bailony said he has seen a noticeable shift among families.

“You know, first-hand, I’ve seen more families than ever before coming to me, and saying, ‘Dr. Bailony, we don’t feel safe about vaccines with everything that’s going on,’ ” Bailoney said. “Um, so, yeah, I actually think, even in California, where we are, you know, headed toward some dark times unfortunately.”

Bailony said the outlook is not great but added there is still time to turn things around. As more measles cases pop up in Los Angeles and Orange counties, he is urgently reminding parents to vaccinate their children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says measles. whick is one of the most contagious infectious diseases, spreads through tiny airborne droplets that can linger in the air for hours and survive on surfaces.

“But I think that the data on measles vaccines has been around for 40 years,” Bailoney said. “We know that it is a very safe vaccine and that it does its job very, very, very well.”

Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a distinct rash.

Still, some parents remain hesitant to vaccinate their children like visiting Texas resident Mackenzie Ross.

“I wanna say they’re not hurtful, but at the same time, I don’t really know,” Ross said. “I’ve had my vaccines. I’m sure you did when you were a child, and we’re fine now. But, however, my wife is a nurse and she has different opinions on it.”

Another parent, Melissa Downing, said she believes more trust in vaccines would help protect communities.

“I do feel like I wish more people would trust the vaccine so we could develop that herd immunity,” Downingsaid. “I feel like, as a parent, the best I can do is just decide for my own children what’s best.”

Bailony said children under 5 are at particularly high risk of serious complications from measles. He said 1% to 6% will develop pneumonia, about 10% will get ear infections, and about one in 1,000 will develop encephalitis. In severe cases, measles can lead to death.

“I think it’s just worth mentioning that the reason to give your kid the vaccine is out of love and care, and that a lot of times the reasons I’m seeing that people aren’t vaccinating is more parenting based on fear,” Bailoney said.

The most recent state health data shows less than 94% of kindergarteners in San Diego County received the MMR vaccine before the 2023 school year. That is close to the goal for herd immunity, but lower than most Southern California counties.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.