Vermont

Vermont reports 1st measles case of 2026

Published

2 months ago

February 12, 2026

Vermont reports 1st measles case of 2026

Vermont health officials report a confirmed measles case in an adult in Washington County who became sick after recent international travel. This is the first measles case in the state in 2026.

Investigation and response are ongoing, and the case does not pose a current risk to the public.

Confirmation of the case follows the detection of measles virus in wastewater in Washington County through the department’s wastewater monitoring program last week. While officials cannot definitively link the case to the detection, Health Commissioner Rick Hildebrant, MD, said this shows how monitoring can help improve our public health efforts.

“The early warning allowed us to put local health care providers on alert, which can help identify cases more quickly,” Hildebrant said. “This rapid public health response is critical to preventing the spread of measles, especially as we see more cases in Vermont and around the country.”

There is no treatment for measles, but the disease is almost entirely vaccine-preventable. About 1 in 5 people in the U.S. who get measles without being vaccinated are hospitalized. Health officials urge all people in Vermont to make sure they and their families are vaccinated against measles – especially children, for whom the disease is especially dangerous.

“Measles is an incredibly contagious illness,” Hildebrant said. “Because most people choose to get vaccinated, the risk to most Vermonters is low. But we encourage anyone who is not vaccinated to talk to their health care provider about making sure they are protected, especially if they are planning to travel outside the U.S.”

Vermont reported two cases of measles in 2025 and two in 2024.

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Vermont

74-year-old woman fulfills childhood dream as EMT at fair in Vermont

Published

12 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

74-year-old woman fulfills childhood dream as EMT at fair in Vermont

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (Aging Untold) — For 10 days, the Champlain Valley Fair, a county fair in Vermont, becomes its own little town with thousands of people, hot afternoons and the occasional emergency.

Charlene Phelps, 74, runs the fair’s emergency response team.

“We have a lot of seniors that come and people don’t drink enough water,” Phelps said.

The team handles sprains, bee stings, heat exhaustion and whatever comes through.

“I like taking care of people, I like helping people,” Phelps said.

Living out a childhood dream

It’s also a childhood dream.

Phelps wanted to be a nurse, but college wasn’t possible, so she found another route into care and has been showing up year after year at the fair.

Aging Untold expert Amy O’Rourke said living out your purpose can improve mental and spiritual well-being.

“When you tap into that, you’re tapping in on a place that’s a risk, that’s a challenge that inevitably creates growth inside you, gives you confidence so that if you’re in another situation you can build on that,” O’Rourke said. “Or, if you’re in an everyday situation where you’re a little anxious, it’ll help create stabilization in that place as well.”

Saving lives at the fair

Sometimes it’s bigger than a bandage.

“Over on there near the swings way over there is Gustovo, and we saved his life,” Phelps said.

Gustovo had gone into cardiac arrest at the fair a few years ago.

“I mean he was gone,” Phelps said.

Now he’s back and working the rides.

“Came for my hug, Gustovo,” Phelps said.

O’Rourke said stories like this are also why some people keep working past retirement age. Purpose isn’t a number, it’s a role.

“I’ve seen a 92-year-old still working as a nurse’s aid. I’ve seen people in my neighborhood chilling out and loving it,” O’Rourke said. “So, I think it’s being really self-aware of what you need and making sure that you’re getting those needs met.”

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Vermont

Vermont lawmakers reject digital lottery initiative – Valley News

Published

24 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Vermont lawmakers reject digital lottery initiative – Valley News

A plan by Gov. Phil Scott’s administration to make all of the state’s lottery games, including scratch-off tickets, available on a person’s phone never got off the ground at the Statehouse this year.

Lottery Commissioner Wendy Knight told lawmakers in January that the plan was a way to modernize the lottery “because you need to keep pace with technology — you need to meet your players where they are.”

Fifteen states have created a “digital” lottery system, and many have discovered there’s a distinct market of people who don’t buy lottery tickets at retail outlets but will do so on their phones, according to Knight. “We’re trying to ensure the future of the Vermont Lottery, ” the commissioner said.

But state lawmakers have not been persuaded.

Vergennes Rep. Matt Birong, the Democratic chair of the House government operations committee, said members of the panel felt this year was not the time to move forward with this plan, especially given the recent legalization of sports betting.

“It is digitizing a current system and after moving forward with the sports wagering — people just wanted to take their time with it — so my committee decided to tap the brakes on further testimony.”

The administration estimated that the plan would have raised roughly $5 million a year for the state’s education fund after two years of implementation.

The prospect of that additional revenue is appealing to lawmakers, and Birong said they may reconsider the plan next year.

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