Massachusetts health officials have confirmed the state’s first two measles cases of the year, a school-aged child and a Greater Boston adult. 

The Department of Public Health announced the cases Friday, marking the first report of measles in Massachusetts since 2024. 

According to health officials, the adult who was diagnosed returned home recently from abroad and had an “uncertain vaccination history.” While infectious, the person visited several locations where others were likely exposed to the virus, and health officials said they are working to identify and notify anyone affected

The child, meanwhile, is a Massachusetts resident who was exposed to the virus and diagnosed with measles out-of-state, where they remain during the infectious period. Health officials said the child does not appear to have exposed anyone in Massachusetts to measles. 

The two Massachusetts cases come as the U.S. battles a large national measles outbreak, which has seen 1,136 confirmed cases nationwide so far in 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“Our first two measles cases in 2026 demonstrate the impact that the measles outbreaks, nationally and internationally, can have here at home,” Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said Friday. “Fortunately, thanks to high vaccination rates, the risk to most Massachusetts residents remains low.” 

Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or talks. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours and may even spread through tissues or cups used by someone who has it, according to the DPH. 

Early symptoms occur 10 days to two weeks after exposure and may resemble a cold or cough, usually with a fever, health officials warned. A rash develops two to four days after the initial symptoms, appearing first on the head and shifting downward. 

According to the DPH, complications occur in about 30% of infected measles patients, ranging from immune suppression to pneumonia, diarrhea, and encephalitis — a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the brain. 

“Measles is the most contagious respiratory virus and can cause life-threatening illness,” Goldstein said. “These cases are a reminder of the need for health care providers and local health departments to remain vigilant for cases so that appropriate public health measures can be rapidly employed to prevent spread in the state. This is also a reminder that getting vaccinated is the best way for people to protect themselves from this disease.” 

According to the DPH, people who have had measles, or who have been vaccinated against measles, are considered immune. State health officials offer the following guidance for the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine:

• Children should receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months. School-aged children need two doses of the MMR vaccine.
• Adults should have at least one dose of the MMR vaccine. Certain high-risk groups need two doses, including international travelers, health care workers, and college students. Adults who were born in the U.S. before 1957 are considered immune due to past exposures. 

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

The Boston Red Sox were expected to have a busy offseason to build on their short 2025 playoff appearance, their first in four seasons. Boston delivered, albeit not in the way many reporters and fans expected — Alex Bregman left and no one was traded from the outfield surplus.

Roster construction questions have loomed over the Red Sox since last season. They were emphasized by Masataka Yoshida’s return from surgery rehab and Roman Anthony’s arrival to the big leagues. Boston has four-six outfielders, depending where it envisions Yoshida and Kristian Campbell playing, and a designated hitter spot it likes to keep flexible — moving an outfielder makes the most sense to solve this quandary.

The best case-scenario for addressing the packed outfield would be to find a trade suitor for Yoshida, which has proven difficult-to-impossible over his first three seasons with the Red Sox. Red Sox insiders Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive think Boston may have to make an extremely difficult decision to free up Yoshida’s roster spot.

“You wonder, at what point does this become a — not Patrick Sandoval situation — but a Pablo Sandoval, where you rip the Band-Aid off and just release,” McAdam theorized on the “Fenway Rundown” podcast (subscription required).

Red Sox insiders wonder if/when Boston will release Masataka Yoshida, as it did with Pablo Sandoval in 2017

Pablo Sandoval is infamous among Red Sox fans. He signed a five-year, $90 million deal before the 2015 season and he only lasted two and a half years before the Red Sox cut him loose. His tenure was marked by career lows at the plate, injuries and a perceived lack of effort that soured things quickly with Boston. Yoshida hasn’t lived up to the expectations the Red Sox had when they signed him, but he’s no Sandoval.

McAdam postulated that the Red Sox may be waiting until there is less money remaining on Yoshida’s contract before they potentially release him. Like Sandoval, Yoshida signed a five-year, $90 million deal before the 2023 season, which has only just reached its halfway point. The Red Sox still owe him over $36 million, and by releasing him, they’d be forced to eat that money.

The amount of money remaining on Yoshida’s contract is just one obstacle that may be preventing the Red Sox from finding a trade partner to move him elsewhere. Yoshida has never played more than 140 games in a MLB season with 303 total over his three-year tenure, mostly because he’s dealt with so many injuries since moving stateside.

Maybe the Red Sox could attach a top prospect to him and eat some of his contract money to entice another team into a trade, like they already did with Jordan Hicks this winter. But that would require sacrificing a quality prospect and it would cost more money, just to move a good hitter who tries hard at his job.

There’s no easy way to fit Yoshida onto Boston’s roster, but the decision to salary dump or release him will be just as hard. Yoshida hasn’t been a bad player for the Red Sox and he doesn’t deserve the Sandoval treatment, but his trade value may only decrease if he spends another year with minimal playing time. Alex Cora and Craig Breslow have a real dilemma on their hands with this roster.

That law is not just right. It’s also smart. But we have been lousy about putting it into practice.

Only 10 percent of those eligible to have their records sealed here have actually done it, according to The Clean Slate Initiative, an advocacy group. That’s because we’ve made it impossibly complicated.

Having a criminal record is an enormous obstacle for people who have done their time and are trying to rebuild their lives. A conviction, even a minor one, even from long ago, can mean being rejected by employers and denied by landlords. Cases that were dismissed, or which prosecutors dropped, and even many that ended in not guilty findings also show up on criminal background checks. That can keep someone from getting life insurance, credit, a real estate license, and other professional certifications. It also means they can’t volunteer at their kids’ schools or coach Little League.

“I have grown men in my office crying because they can’t get housing,” said Leslie Credle, who heads Justice 4 Housing, which helps move formerly incarcerated people into permanent homes. “Individuals who were once breadwinners come home and now they’re a burden to their family. It’s a lifetime sentence … even if you have done your time.”

Maybe you’ve gotten this far and are thinking this doesn’t affect you. It does.

Nearly half of US children have at least one parent with a criminal record. People with solid jobs and stable housing are more likely to support their families and communities. They are more likely to fill vacancies at all kinds of businesses that need more workers to thrive. They are also way less likely to reoffend, or to rely on public benefits.

So why have we made the process so much harder than it needs to be?

Right now, a person who has served her time and stayed out of trouble for the waiting period must petition the commissioner of probation in writing, or go before a judge. It’s needlessly complex, requiring time and familiarity with a backlogged and sometimes hostile system. And that’s if they know they can get their records sealed in the first place.

“It’s like double jeopardy,” said Shay, 36, who finally got hers sealed a few years ago. “You can’t try somebody twice for the same crime, but you can double punish them. In my case, I was punished triple.”

Shay, who asked that her last name be withheld, was 22 when she was convicted of carrying a dangerous weapon — a misdemeanor. She did six months in jail, paid thousands in fines and other costs, and had a successful probation. Since then, her record has held her back in ways big and small.

“I had to keep explaining it to people when I wanted to get a job and apply for housing,” she said. “I could not go on any field trips with my daughter, so now she had to suffer.” They had to stay on other people’s couches for months because a landlord ran a background check and gave an apartment to someone else.

Shay knew she could seal her record, thanks to Greater Boston Legal Services. But doing it, even with an attorney’s help, was a whole other thing. Her first application got lost somewhere between the post office and the probation department, which cost her a year. It took two years to process her second application, she said.

“Now here we are, years later, and it’s no longer a burden I have to worry about,” said Shay, who now works to help those with records get into the cannabis industry.

She’s doing well now, but why should it ever be this hard?

In 13 other states — including Oklahoma, Michigan, and Utah — they automatically seal criminal records after someone has met the conditions. It’s embarrassing that Massachusetts hasn’t joined them yet. Legislators have introduced measures to automatically seal eligible criminal records a bunch of times since 2019, but they’ve gone nowhere.

Clean Slate Massachusetts is working to make this time different, with the help of a huge coalition of community partners, including business leaders who understand we all thrive when more people can find work and stability. Yet again, legislators have proposed two bills that would require the state to automatically seal records in cases that are already eligible under the law.

So much about this country is messed up right now. Here is something we can actually fix.

What the heck are we waiting for?

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This story has been updated to correct the charge of which Shay was convicted.

Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham can be reached at yvonne.abraham@globe.com.