Measles cases in the United States have soared to levels unseen since the disease was declared eliminated 25 years ago. CNN reports the US has logged at least 1,277 confirmed measles cases so far in 2025, surpassing the previous post-elimination record of 1,274 set in 2019—and we still have half a year to go. Those numbers come from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Outbreak Response Innovation, and far outpace the average 180 measles cases that have been reported annually since the disease was declared eliminated here in 2000.
Three deaths have been reported in the US this year, equaling the total from the prior 25 years. Most infected individuals were unvaccinated. The CDC notes just 8% of cases involved people who had received one or two MMR doses. Children under five represent more than a quarter of US cases, which are largely clustered in Texas, specifically Gaines County. Cases that subsequently emerged in New Mexico and Oklahoma have been tied to the West Texas outbreak, but there has been at least one case noted in 38 states.
USA Today reports measles is among the most contagious infectious diseases, so much so that that 92% of unvaccinated people who are exposed end up coming down with it. In response to the latest numbers, affected states have opened special vaccination clinics and broadened guidelines to allow infants as young as six months to get their first MMR dose. In March and April, about 20% of children who got their first measles shot in Texas did so early, prior to their first birthday.
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Measles elimination status, achieved in 2000 and signifying no continuous transmission of the disease for more than a year straight, is at risk if US outbreaks persist past January 2026. CNN notes the 2019 outbreak was "concentrated in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and Rockland County that had been targeted with anti-vaccine disinformation for years."
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