Last month, a child in Lubbock, Texas received the first dose of the MMR vaccine. With less than three months into 2025, measles cases in the United States have already exceeded last year’s total due to the ongoing outbreak in West Texas. As of Friday, 320 cases have been reported across 16 states, as per NBC News’ tally of state health department data. This is higher than the 285 cases reported by the CDC last year, the highest total since 2019.
The majority of this year’s cases, 259, are in Texas, with an additional 35 in neighboring New Mexico. Almost all cases in these states are in unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status. Tragically, an unvaccinated school-aged child in Texas and an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico, who died last month, tested positive for measles. The cause of the New Mexico individual’s death is still being investigated. Prior to these fatalities, the U.S. had not seen a measles death in a decade, with the last child fatality in 2003.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning it was not continuously spreading, although occasional outbreaks occurred. However, in 2019, the U.S. was close to losing that status with 1,274 recorded cases, many associated with outbreaks in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York. With rising cases in Texas and other states, public health experts are concerned about the renewed threat to elimination.
Globally, there is an increase in measles cases, providing more opportunities for the virus to spread in the U.S. European and Central Asian countries reported over 127,000 measles cases last year, the highest since 1997 and double that of 2023. The WHO and U.N. attribute this increase to declining immunization coverage during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of reaching under-vaccinated communities.
Measles is highly contagious, with an infected person able to spread it to up to 9 out of 10 people if they are not vaccinated. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective in preventing measles. While most U.S. measles cases are imported, declining vaccination rates have fueled local transmission. Health guidelines recommend a vaccination rate of at least 95% to prevent outbreaks; however, by the 2023-24 school year, less than 93% of U.S. kindergartners had received the two recommended doses.
The outbreak in Texas originated in Gaines County with an 82% kindergarten vaccination rate for measles. Vaccine hesitancy, particularly among the Mennonite population in Seminole, has contributed to the outbreak. In New Mexico, most cases are in Lea County, bordering Gaines County.
Health officials in Texas and New Mexico are urging unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated.
Individuals residing in regions experiencing an outbreak can receive an early vaccination. Measles poses a significant risk to children under the age of 5. The CDC reports that approximately 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 children with measles may succumb to respiratory and neurological issues.
