In southern Utah, a measles outbreak that’s been simmering since last summer is showing signs of wider spread. Now, state health officials are pleading with residents to take the virus seriously . “It is not a mild infection. It is not a mild virus. It is severe illness,” Utah’s state epidemiologist, Dr. Leisha Nolen, said at a news briefing Thursday. She’s hearing from people sick with the virus, as well as their caregivers, that “measles is so much worse than what they expected.” “A number of