884 measles cases confirmed in 29 states
A measles, mumps and rubella vaccine information packet is distributed at the Lubbock Health Department in Texas on March 1 as the state experiences the nation’s largest number of measles cases. File Photo by Annie Rice/EPA-EFE
A half dozen states have reported measles outbreaks among 29 states, with confirmed cases totaling 884 so far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.
The CDC says 11 measles outbreaks have been reported in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas.
An outbreak is declared when a state or local community has at least three confirmed measles cases
Texas accounts for the most measles cases so far in 2025, with 646 reported mostly in West Texas by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Two school-aged children have died from measles in Texas, and another measles death occurred elsewhere as 2025 so far accounts for the second-highest number of confirmed measles cases since 2000.
New Mexico has the next-largest number of confirmed measles cases with 54 reported as of April 4.
All but two of those cases were reported in the state’s Lea County, which is situated along the state line with Texas.
The CDC reported 1,274 measles cases in 2019, which dropped to nearly none during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020.
The 884 confirmed cases so far this year mostly are among those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, but a medical expert said the actual number likely is higher.
“I think it’s likely that there are a lot of unreported cases in children who weren’t particularly sick or didn’t come to medical attention,” Dr. Marschall Runge, Michigan Medical School dean and Michigan Medicine CEO, told ABC News.
As of 2000, measles officially was declared eradicated from the United States, with the only cases occurring among those who contracted the disease while traveling abroad.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has proven to be very safe and effective at preventing measles, according to the CDC.
When a community has vaccination rates of 95% or more, it is considered to have reached herd immunity.
The CDC shows vaccination rates among school-aged children have declined from 95.2% in 2019 to 92.7% in 2023.
Children are the most vulnerable to measles, and the CDC reported 266, 30%, of the nation’s measles cases are among children under 5 years of age and 338, 38%, are among those between ages 5 and 19.
Another 261 cases, 30%, are among those ages 20 and over, with another 19 cases, 2%, are among those whose ages were not reported.
Unvaccinated individuals account for 97% of all confirmed measles cases.