Measles Outbreak Updates: Here's Where Cases Are Spreading In The U.S.

Forbes

06-05-2025

More than 700 cases of measles have been confirmed in an outbreak across Texas, state health officials reported Tuesday, as other outbreaks of the highly contagious illness spread across dozens of other states.
Most of the cases in the U.S. are centered in Texas. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported Tuesday its number of measles cases, which date back to late January, had grown to 702, with 91 patients being hospitalized and two school-aged children confirmed dead from the illness since the start of the state's outbreak.
Fewer than 10 of the confirmed cases are estimated to be actively infectious, according to Texas health officials.
The Texas health department said 30 of the cases were in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the 672 sick patients being unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status.
There have been 935 confirmed cases of measles across nearly 30 states so far this year, according to the latest update from the CDC on Friday, an increase of 51 over the previous week and far surpassing the 285 measles cases reported in the entirety of 2024 (the CDC does not provide data on how many cases are actively infectious).
In New Mexico, which has the second-highest number of measles cases in the country, Lea County is home to 61 of the state's 67 confirmed cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas' measles cases have been detected.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 46 confirmed cases as of Saturday, and Jill Bronaugh, the department's communications director, previously told Forbes genetic sequencing of one case is 'consistent' with a link to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts : We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to [phone] or sign up here. Where In Texas Is The Measles Outbreak?
There have been 403 measles cases confirmed in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. Cases have reached double digits in Terry County (60), Lubbock County (51), El Paso County (44), Dawson County (26), Yoakum County (20), Lamar County (18), Cochran County (14) and Ector County (11) with a total of 29 Texas counties confirming cases of the illness.
An eight-year-old girl died in Lubbock, Texas, of 'measles pulmonary failure' earlier this month after contracting the disease, The New York Times first reported. The hospital where she died, UMC Health System, confirmed the death to media outlets, noting the child was unvaccinated and did not have any underlying health conditions. An unvaccinated six-year-old also died of measles in February, marking the first death from measles in the U.S. in a decade. What Age Groups Is The Measles Outbreak Impacting In Texas?
Some 255 of the cases have been among people aged five to 17, while 207 cases were among children younger than five and 219 were reported among adults aged 18 and above. The ages of 21 patients have not been stated. Where Are Measles Outbreaks In The U.s.?
The CDC has reported 12 outbreaks (three or more related cases) in 2025, with 93% of confirmed cases (869 of the 935) being outbreak-associated. Cases in Kansas have been linked to New Mexico, which has cases connected to the Texas outbreak. Outside of triple or double-digit cases in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio and Pennsylvania, anywhere from one to nine cases have been confirmed by the CDC in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York City, New York state, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. What Are Measles Symptoms?
Symptoms of measles include a fever, rash, cough, fatigue, runny nose and red eyes. The symptoms do not appear until 10 to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus and can appear as late as 21 days after exposure.
Measles is highly contagious and can spread from one person to nine out of 10 people close to them, according to the CDC, which notes a person infected with measles can spread it to others four days before through four days after the rash appears. Measles can spread through coughing, sneezing and infected surfaces and linger in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after infected people leave a given area. What Is The Isolation Protocol For Measles?
People infected with measles should isolate for four days after they develop a rash, with the day of rash onset being considered day zero. Is There A Measles Vaccine?
Yes, and it is highly effective and safe, according to the CDC. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which has been available for over half a century, is about 97% effective at preventing measles with the standard two doses and 93% effective with one dose. The vaccine is typically given to people when they are children, with one dose administered between 12 to 15 months and another administered between four to six years old. The vaccine generally provides long-term or lifelong protection. There is no problem with getting the vaccine if you are an adult unsure of their vaccination status, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told NPR. Adults born after 1957 and vaccinated before 1968 should consider getting revaccinated, NPR reported, noting early measles vaccines are not as effective. What Has Rfk Jr. Said About The Measles Outbreak And Vaccine?
After initially claiming the measles outbreak was 'not unusual,' Kennedy changed his stance and considered it 'serious,' saying in a since-removed March 3 statement the outbreak 'is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.' On April 6, Kennedy said the 'most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.' In a separate follow-up post, the HHS leader touted 'two extraordinary healers' who treated measles-sickened children in Texas with budesonide, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and clarithromycin, an antibiotic used on bacterial infections. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, told NPR that budesonide has no role in treating measles while clarithromycin is not the correct antibiotic for treating secondary bacterial infections from measles. Kennedy furthered his support for the vaccine in an interview with CBS News, saying, 'The federal government's position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,' though he did not say the government should mandate the vaccine. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has also supported the use of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician to treat people with measles, creating concerns among health experts who have cautioned about the vitamin's effectiveness. Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Washington Post that solely relying on vitamin A instead of the MMR vaccine is 'dangerous and ineffective' and can put children at risk, noting too much vitamin A can 'cause serious health problems, including liver damage.' Crucial Quote
'Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,' according to The Texas Department of State Health Services. Key Background
The Texas measles outbreak began in late January with just two cases and has become the state's largest outbreak of the virus in 30 years. The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a report of student immunization status for the 2023-2024 school year that 5.64% of Texas kindergarten students were not vaccinated for measles, while 2.34% of seventh graders had not received the vaccine. Measles was fully eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC, meaning the virus was not spreading within the country and new cases only came from people who contracted measles abroad and returned to the U.S. In 2024, a total of 285 measles cases were reported across 33 states.
Measles cases are rising in the U.S. Do adults need a vaccine booster? (NPR)