“This is what we’ve been preparing for”: Shasta Health Officer Dr. James Mu responds to county’s first measles case
Dr. Mu is encouraging the public to update vaccines if needed. He also cautioned against “measles parties” and the use of high doses of Vitamin A when taken without medical supervision.
Shasta’s Public Health Department is on high alert after a measles case was diagnosed on Jan. 31. So far, there have been no additional cases reported since the initial one, “that we know of,” said Dr. James Mu, the county’s Health Officer.
Mu indicated that the individual with measles had recently traveled to parts of southern California and the Bay Area where there have been other positive cases. That person is now quarantined.
Should Shasta’s number of cases increase — as is happening in South Carolina, where positive measles cases are now close to 1,000 — Mu and his team will have to contend with a type of public health crisis the county hasn’t faced in recent years.
“This is what our department has been preparing for for the last two, three years. So it’s a little surreal that it actually is here,” the health officer told Shasta Scout this morning.
Mu said he’s encouraging the public to quickly get up to date on the two-dose measles vaccination, also known as the MMR vaccine, if needed. Community members can check their vaccination status here.
Meanwhile, Shasta County’s public health office is working with the California Department of Public Health to use contact tracing to identify individuals who were exposed to the patient diagnosed late last week.
Safest methods of prevention
The CDC advises that staying up to date on both doses of the measles vaccine is the safest and most effective way to prevent the spread of the disease and avoid serious complications.
Addressing some of the “chatter” his team has seen online regarding measles, Mu advised against “measles parties” — gatherings similar to chickenpox parties in which unvaccinated children are intentionally exposed to one another in order to gain immunity through infection.
He also spoke out against another idea he’s seen encouraged online, taking high doses of Vitamin A as a preventative measure without a doctor’s oversight, something that can be toxic.
Mu was appointed to his role as the county’s health official in 2023. Shasta County’s previous health official was fired after following state mandates in response to COVID-19 era restrictions. At the time, Mu was one of a group of local physicians who signed a letter that outlined critiques of California’s approach to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Mu said today that he doesn’t want to see the public forced to have certain treatments, including vaccines. But, he added, “we certainly encourage the public, in this case specifically, to get the measles vaccine.”
Protecting the vulnerable
Measles spreads primarily among unvaccinated people, and most severely affects unvaccinated children and unvaccinated pregnant women, as well as those who are immunocompromised, regardless of their vaccination status.
“Whether you’re going through some kind of transplant, chemotherapy or have a severe medical condition — or if you’re not immunized — then you are at higher risk,” Mu said.
Children under the age of 12 months who are not yet eligible for measles vaccinations are at a particularly high risk. During an outbreak, experts say, it is important to keep these infants away from crowds or unvaccinated people. Mu added that infants aged between 6-11 months can receive one dose of the measles vaccination for temporary protection during an outbreak.
According to the CDC, in 2025, 11% of measles cases resulted in hospitalization and there were three deaths. Some of the nonfatal complications that can result from measles include encephalitis, neurological issues, and pneumonia, as well as premature birth.
So far, in 2026, 94% of people who have contracted measles in the United States were either unvaccinated or did not know their vaccination status. Dr. Mu says he doesn’t want to spread fear but it’s important for everyone to get vaccinated regardless of their risk on paper.
“(If) you’re the individual who gets a severe illness, it doesn’t matter what the statistics tell you,” he said. “I don’t want the public to panic or at the same time, we don’t want the public to ignore potential threats.”
If people are exhibiting symptoms of measles — a rash starting in the facial area and possibly spreading to the body, often preceded by a high fever, runny nose, and coughing — Mu urged the public to contact a medical provider immediately to get tested.
Rather than going to a public health clinic, ER, or doctors office, individuals should call ahead to be sure they can be examined in a way that doesn’t place others at risk.
“And again, don’t go to public spaces,” Mu said, speaking to individuals who are exhibiting these symptoms.
On Saturday, the county released a list of places where members of the public could have come into contact with the individual with measles. Since then, they’ve added one additional site, a local park.
- An informal, outdoor capture the flag sport event at Highland Neighborhood Park, 555 Mill Valley Parkway, Redding, on Jan. 23 from noon to 4 p.m.
- Osaka Sushi, 1340 Churn Creek Rd., on January 23 from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
- A gym basketball game at the former CrossPointe Community Church, 2960 Hartnell Ave., Redding on January 24 from 1:45 to 5 p.m.
- Costco, 4805 Bechelli Lane, Redding, on January 24 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Churn Creek HealthCare clinic, 3184 Churn Creek Road, Redding, on January 28 from 1:45 to 5 p.m.
The county is asking anyone who was at those locations or events during those times to contact the Shasta County Measles Information Line at (530) 638-5580, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, to speak with county health staff.
2.04.26 12:39 pm: We have updated Health Officer Dr. Mu’s official title.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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Point of correction, Shasta Scout. Dr. Mu is not the Shasta County Public Health Director. That is a different individual. I am happy to see Dr. Mu is advising the public to ensure they have their complete two dose vaccine series. Anyone who would have received a childhood MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine before 1989 would have received only one dose at the time so a second dose is appropriate in those cases. Also glad to see Dr. Mu advising against risky high dose vitamin A treatments or measles parties.
One correction to what Dr. Mu said to the Record Searchlight on February 2nd. He absolutely CAN disclose whether the measles case was vaccinated. I hope Dr. Mu is learning from his epidemiology team who can tell him that vaccination status is not a personal characteristic that presents of risk of re-identification of the individual. The California Department of Public Health has published guidelines that can be helpful in that regard. And, the public can benefit from understanding the local context of the impact of immunization (or lack thereof) on risk of measles infection. Thank you to Shasta Scout for including those statistics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS0DqUKhljk This is the new biolab discovery reported on 2/3/26, In Las Vegas, connected to the Reedley lab near Fresno from a few years back 2022-23. It puts one case of measles in Redding in perspective. As this report today shows, there was info discovered during the Reedley investigation that linked to this current report on the Las Vegas biolab. Given how ill the exposed Las Vegas people became, while they were unknowing “lab rats”, it is inexcusable that those connections were not more quickly acted upon by law enforcement- my opinion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxaGyE92Jf8 The Reedley biolab was located in a major US agricultural region. I referenced this about 4 days ago in my comments in Shasta Scout mostly to state that “see something, say something” is a valuable citizen directive. The “something” should be what is -tangibly- some sort of threat so people, not only d o n ‘t act (see) on their own but -do- feel empowered to report it (say) to the proper authorities without concerns of being accused of reporting observations based solely on a person’s perceived ethnicity or place of origin.
Well, this country has dealt with measles before and so it’s really not a big deal. I guess we’ll just deal with it again. On another front, the president signed a bill today that absolutely defunds PBS and NPR! That, is a reason to celebrate!
Aloha Kako a huiho !!!
LMAO
We basically had measles eradicated in our country.
But yeah sure, let’s bring it back?? After all, it’s no big deal, right?
It would seem like the moral thing to do would be to try and stop the spread of disease.
Tell that to the three families who lost a loved one to measles in 2025. Funding for PBS and NPR will be restored once he’s gone so don’t celebrate yet. I’m more concerned about the three dozen journalists arrested in US since he took office. Finally, rather than waste any more time on Jon’s deflection, I would like to know if Dr. Mu completed his educational requirements to get his Master’s in Public Health as conditioned in his hiring contract?
It’s impossible to have lived in Shastanistan for a good amount of time and not suspect at least some of the animosity aimed at Drs. Mu and Dhanuka is rooted in racism. But both cozied up to the local MAGA crazies to gain their offices but have shown real promise lately. Maybe they were Trojan horses the whole time. I don’t believe that entirely, but I’m trying to be more generous and agreeable in this new year.
Esteban Torres, or perhaps STEVEN TOWERS, a well known PSEUDO Environmental Scientist/Ecologist coming from an online-blog called “ANewsCafe” (a cesspool of DISINFORMATION indeed)…
Via Linkedin:
“Steven Towers
University of California, Davis
Palo Cedro, California, United States
About
I’ve been a professional environmental consultant for over 25 years, specializing in natural resources management, compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and related environmental statutes and policies. The services we provide include technical studies (wildlife and botany surveys, wetland delineations, habitat assessments, etc.), mitigation plans and implementation, environmental restoration plans, habitat management services, environmental monitoring, environmental education, and grant/funding procurement.
Specialties: Natural resources management, NEPA, CEQA, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, environmental permitting, environmental education, grant/funding procurement”
Calm down, Chriss Street.
We get that you are not a fan of science. No need to get agitated by those real scientists.
Finally, good news! Even though Dr. Mu, a campaign contributor to hard right MAGA Supervisor Crye, was unqualified for hire and Taxpayers’ Dollars were spent to bring him into compliance, it seems the Doctor is finally acting like a real community health provider, for a change!
Mu was hired by our MAGA supervisors because of his willingness to speak out against the overwhelming support of the national and international evidence-based medical community regarding Covid vaccination guidelines. Mu’s predecessor, Dr. Karen Ramstrom, was fired by our MAGA supervisors because Ramstrom followed state and federal law and all CDC recommendations; in other words, Ramstrom refused to endorse LOCAL MAGA propaganda.
But it seems Mu has finally put his political convictions aside to help medical science protect the community, and not parrot Kennedy’s conspiracy theory nonsense on the measles vaccine. Mu also did a turnaround on his MAGA stance for Supervisors Crye, Harnom, and Kelstorm, of opposing the True North Medical Facility despite the vast support of the citizens and the medical community; he recanted (after getting okay to do so from MAGA?). So, a thank you is in order.
Thank you, Dr. MU, for putting the citizens first and leaving conspiracy theories at the door.
You have a lot of hate bro; get some help.