Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia report first measles cases of 2025
Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia have all reported their first measles cases in 2025, and they say all three patients' cases are linked to international travel.
The most recently announced case in northwest Virginia is a child in the 0 to 4-year age range who had recently traveled internationally, according to the state's health department. Officials did not clarify if the child was vaccinated against the virus.
'This first case of measles in Virginia this year is a reminder of how easily this highly contagious disease can spread, particularly with international travel,' said state epidemiologist Laurie Forlano. 'Vaccination remains our best defense against measles and is safe and highly effective at protecting people and preventing outbreaks.'
The Virginia Department of Health identified two Kaiser Permanente medical centers in Woodbridge and Fredericksburg as areas of potential exposure, adding that officials are working to help identify those exposed to the illness.
The Louisiana case is an adult from the southeast of the state who was not vaccinated against measles, according to the Department of Health. The patient received treatment at a hospital and is in isolation, where they will remain until no longer infectious.
'The LDH Office of Public Health is working to identify and notify those who have come into contact with the infected individual,' the department said.
The Missouri measles case involves a child 'associated with recent international travel' visiting Taney County, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said. The child's age and vaccination status is not clear at this time.
'There is no indication of widespread exposure as this person was diagnosed soon after arrival to Taney County,' the department said in an update. 'Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted.'
These cases come amid the largest measles outbreak the U.S. has faced in six years. Even given the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has remained relatively silent on the public health threat, providing just weekly updates on its website and sending an alert to doctors last month.
Earlier this month, the Texas Department of State Health Services said the measles toll in the state rose to 481 confirmed cases, including six young children at a day care center in Lubbock. Fifty-six people have been hospitalized in the area since the disease started spreading in late January.
The CDC sent 2,000 doses of the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine to Texas health officials at their request, but hasn't held a news briefing about the illness since 2019, when two large outbreaks in New York threatened to reverse the United States' status of having eliminated the virus.
Before this year, the United States had not had a measles death in a decade, and a child had not died of measles since 2003.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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