U.S. Measles Cases Reach a Record High Since the Disease Was Declared Eliminated 25 Years Ago
With nearly six months left in the year, the total number of cases so far in 2025 has surpassed every year since 1992
Measles cases in the United States have reached a record high since the disease was declared eliminated from the country 25 years ago.
Officials had declared measles eliminated in 2000, when there had not been continuous transmission for more than a year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls it “a historic public health achievement.”
Now, however, experts warn that the U.S. could soon lose its elimination status, if the nation reaches 12 months of continuous spread of related measles cases.
As of July 8, at least 1,285 confirmed cases of measles have been reported throughout the country in 38 states and Washington, D.C., this year, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Outbreak Response Innovation. Data from the CDC does not reflect the record yet, since its numbers are updated on Wednesdays, notes the Washington Post’s Lena H. Sun.
That number has already surpassed the 1,274 cases that occurred in 2019 due to an outbreak in New York—and 2025 still has six months to go. Already, this year has seen the highest number of cases in the country in any year since 1992. In addition, experts emphasize that the current number of cases is likely underreported.
By the numbers: Measles cases by state
According to the latest data, Texas leads the country with 792 measles cases this year, followed by New Mexico with 95, Kansas with 86 and Ohio with 35.Scientists say that the recent surge can be linked to a declining childhood vaccination rate for the disease, particularly when coupled with a large outbreak that began in Gaines County, an undervaccinated part of West Texas.
Gaines County has a large Mennonite community, and while the Christian group doesn’t have any specific religious teachings or writings against vaccination, some of its members avoid aspects of modern technology, including by choosing home remedies over interacting with the standard health care system.
During the 2024–2025 school year, nearly one-quarter of Gaines County kindergartners did not have the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination administered to combat measles—one of the lowest vaccination rates in the entire state, reports CNN’s Deidre McPhillips. Although the MMR vaccine is mandated in Texas K-12 schools, parents can apply to exempt their kids from that requirement for various reasons, including religious beliefs.
The outbreak spread to the neighboring states of New Mexico and Oklahoma, and cases in Kansas might also be connected. Several smaller outbreaks have happened across the country, though Texas has had the largest number of measles cases this year by far, with nearly 800 confirmed cases. Other isolated cases have been linked to international travel.
The measles virus is notoriously contagious. If one person has measles, up to nine out of every ten people who remain unvaccinated around them will contract the disease, according to the CDC, and about one in five of these people will end up in the hospital. For every 1,000 children who get measles, per the CDC, one to three will die.
Symptoms of the measles virus appear 7 to 14 days after first contact and can include a high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. The infection’s characteristic rash appears three to five days after the first symptoms, typically starting as flat red spots on the face along the hairline and spreading down the body.
Jonathan Corum and Teddy Rosenbluth for the New York Times report that although symptoms often resolve on their own, once someone is infected with the measles virus, there is no antiviral medication to control how severely it will impact the body. In serious cases, the virus can cause pneumonia and brain swelling, which can lead to lasting damage.
Doctors can only help manage the disease’s symptoms, which is why the MMR vaccination is highly encouraged. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that at least 95 percent of children in kindergarten receive two doses of the MMR vaccine in order to prevent outbreaks, but the country has fallen short of that goal for four years in a row, according to CNN.
One dose of the MMR vaccination is 93 percent effective in preventing the disease, and two doses is 97 percent effective. If a vaccinated person does contract measles, their symptoms will generally be less severe, and the shot has proved to be safe, experts told the New York Times’ Nina Agrawal in February.
The current measles outbreak had led to 155 hospitalizations across the country as of July 1, representing about 12 percent of cases. There have also been three confirmed deaths: two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico—all of whom had not received any dose of the MMR vaccine.
Special vaccination clinics have been set up to help combat the spread of the virus and have helped provide additional coverage for thousands of people, as reported by CNN.