Where are measles cases popping up around the country? Take a look at this map
A growing measles outbreak in the country is raising concern among heath experts who worry that not enough people are getting vaccinated against a highly contagious disease that was considered to be eliminated in the U.S.
'In Texas and a growing number of states across the country, declining vaccination rates are fueling a staggering increase in measles illnesses, measles hospitalizations, and the first death from the disease in years — all primarily among unvaccinated populations,' American Medical Association President Dr. Bruce Scott said in a statement.
The U.S. has recorded more than 160 cases of measles in early 2025. That's already over half the total number of cases the country recorded for all of 2024, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads easily and produces a rash that typically covers a person's body, along with cold and flu-like symptoms, including a high fever up to 105 degrees. While most people can recover at home, the disease can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and brain swelling, hospitalization and death.
Most of the measles cases reported so far this year are in Texas, where health officials are trying to clamp down on a growing outbreak that has sickened more than 150 people. Other states have also recorded measles cases though they trail far behind Texas, including New Mexico, California and New York City.
Florida recently confirmed its first measles case this year in Miami-Dade County.
READ MORE: Are you at risk for measles? Miami sees case amid U.S. outbreak. What to know in Florida
Here's a measles case breakdown by state for 2025:
How to reduce measles risk
Public health experts say the best protection against measles is to get vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR, which is considered highly effective in preventing infection. It helped the U.S. eliminate the disease in 2000. This means that while outbreaks sometimes happen, it's usually because an unvaccinated traveler fell ill in another country and came into the U.S., spreading the virus to other unvaccinated people.
But doctors and health experts the Herald has spoken with have indicated concern over recent cases of the disease and how Florida, like the rest of the U.S., has seen an overall decline in children vaccinations since the COVID pandemic. While states usually require students to get the MMR vaccine and other shots to attend school, there's been a rise in exemptions, according to KFF, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides information and research on health issues and policies.
'Vaccination not only prevents infection, measles-related complications and even death, but also helps prevent further spread to loved ones, neighbors, co-workers and others in close contact,' said Scott. 'When immunization rates are high, people who cannot be protected directly by vaccines are protected because they are not exposed to the disease.'
One dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR, is about 93% effective, with two doses about 97% effective, according to the CDC. Once you get the two-dose vaccination, you're protected for life, experts say.
How do U.S. measles cases compare to last year?
The U.S. recorded 285 measles cases in 2024. Minnesota recorded the most number of cases in 2024, with 69 cases, followed by Illinois, with 67 cases, and Oregon, with 31 cases, CDC data shows. Florida had the sixth highest number of recorded cases in the country, with 13.
Here's a 2024 measles case breakdown by state:
Where can you get measles vaccine?
Kids should get the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age and the second dose at 4 to 6 years of age. About 3 of 100 people vaccinated with two doses will fall ill if exposed to the virus, the CDC says.
MMR vaccines are usually available at doctor offices, pharmacies, clinics and community health centers. Speak with your doctor if you have questions about the shot or are unsure whether you and your child have already received it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
7 minutes ago
- Forbes
AMA: Doctors And Patients Hurt By ‘Big Beautiful Bill'
The American Medical Association says legislation wending its way through the Republican-controlled ... More Congress would 'take us backward' as a country by cutting health benefits for poor and low-income Americans, the group's president said Friday, June 6. In this photo, the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg The American Medical Association says legislation wending its way through the Republican-controlled Congress would 'take us backward' as a country by cutting health benefits for poor and low-income Americans. Meeting for its annual policy-making House of Delegates this weekend in Chicago, the AMA is rallying physicians to thwart the legislation now before the U.S. Senate. Legislation known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' that narrowly passed the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives two weeks ago 'would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $793 billion and that the Medicaid provisions would increase the number of uninsured people by 7.8 million,' a KFF analysis shows. 'We have to turn our anger into action,' AMA President Bruce A. Scott, M.D. said in a speech to AMA delegates Friday. 'I know our patience is being tested by this new administration and Congress.' The AMA said it has launched a 'grassroots campaign targeted at the Senate' in hopes of making changes to the legislation. The AMA is the nation's largest physician group with more than 200,000 members. 'The same House bill that brings us closer to finally tying future Medicare payments to the rising costs of running a practice, also takes us backwards by limiting access to care for millions of lower-income Americans,' Scott said. 'Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act are literal lifelines for children and families for whom subsidized health coverage is their only real option. We must do all we can to protect this safety net and continue to educate lawmakers on how best to target waste and fraud in the system without making it tougher for vulnerable populations to access care.' Scott, an otolaryngologist from Kentucky, said the Medicare physician payment system is broken and Congress hasn't addressed – as an increasing number of states have – prior authorization, the process of health insurers reviewing hospital admissions and medications. Prior authorization delays needed treatment and puts patient health in jeopardy, doctors say. 'I'm angry because the dysfunction in health care today goes hand in hand with years of dysfunction in Congress,' Scott added. 'I'm angry because physicians are bearing the brunt of a failed Medicare payment system. And while our pay has been cut by more than 33 percent in 25 years, we see hospitals and even health insurance companies receiving annual pay increases.' Meanwhile, the AMA says cuts to physician payments are pushing more physicians away from private practice and exacerbating the nation's doctor shortage. A recent analysis by AMN Healthcare shows only two in five physicians are now in doctor-owned private practices. And Americans in most U.S. cities face waits of at least one month before they can see certain specialists. 'Congress needs to know there is no 'care' in Medicare if there are no doctors," Scott said.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Egg brands sold in Washington recalled, CDC warning of Salmonella outbreak
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning of a Salmonella outbreak linked to several brands of eggs sold in nine states, including Washington. Seventy-nine people in seven states have contracted Salmonella linked to the same outbreak strain found in the eggs, the CDC says. The August Egg Company, based in Hilmar, California, has issued a recall of 1,700,000 dozen eggs sold at Walmart locations in Washington, according to the CDC. In a release, the CDC says twenty-one people have been hospitalized with Salmonella, and no deaths have been reported. The eggs were sold to retailers and restaurants in Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming, the CDC says. The shell eggs were distributed from February 3 through May 6, with sell-by dates from March 4 to June 19, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a release, the FDA says brands sold include: Clover Organic Large Brown Eggs O Organics Large Brown Eggs Marketside Organic Large Cage Free Brown Eggs Raley's Organic Large Cage Free Brown Eggs Simple Truth Medium & Large Brown Cage Free Eggs Sun Harvest Organic Cage Free Large Brown Eggs Sunnyside Large Brown Cage Free Eggs The eggs sold were distributed in fiber or plastic cartons with the plant code number P-6562 or CA5330. The CDC advises what you should do if you have a carton of recalled eggs in your home or business: What You Should Do: Do not eat any recalled eggs. Throw them away or return them to where you bought them. Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the recalled eggs using hot soapy water or a dishwasher. Call your healthcare provider if you have any severe Salmonella symptoms. What Businesses Should Do: Do not sell or serve recalled eggs. Wash and sanitize items and surfaces that may have come in contact with recalled eggs. About Salmonella: Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 6 hours to 6 days after being exposed to the bacteria. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment. In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient is hospitalized. Children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe illness. For more information, visit
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
How Campus Counseling Centers Can Increase Capacity With Little Money
Broken piggy bank getty Some might believe that increasing the capacity of campus counseling centers to better serve students requires a large financial investment. This perception might seem daunting, especially in light of a 2025 report by Inside Higher Ed describing significant budget cuts at multiple colleges. However, below are five possible ways to increase the capacity of campus counseling centers with little money. A 2022 report by the American Medical Association defined scope of practice as the range of activities that health professionals are authorized, trained and prepared to perform. Health professionals develop a scope of care statement to inform the public about the services they provide. This makes it efficient for when the public is searching for a provider and prevents providers from absorbing into their practice clients with concerns beyond the scope of care. It might be tempting to believe that campus counseling centers should have an unlimited scope of care, and many centers don't provide a concise scope of care statement. However, this goes against best practices. Scope of care statements which summarize the services and limitations of counseling centers are needed. In addition, all staff counselors need to operate under the stated scope of care. When different staff counselors provide different scopes of care to different students, this reduces capacity because stakeholders might expect services that cannot be regularly provided. A indicated by a 2023 report from the Center of Collegiate Mental Health, counseling centers gave 56% of all appointments to 20% of clients. Many of these clients were likely those with high clinical needs who were absorb into their counseling centers' normal operations. As discussed in a 2024 report on using an absorption model to treat students with high needs is often ineffective. It's likely more effective to arrange specialized services for these students, and there are several ways to do this. As discussed in the report on some centers have partnered with treatment centers to bring high level services onto campus. Others might develop memorandums of understanding with off-campus providers to facilitate referrals. Regardless, counseling centers should avoid an absorption model unless they have high capacity and decide to intentionally utilize this model. It's important to note that third-party telehealth vendors may or may not be able to treat students with high clinical needs. Some schools might financially invest into a third-party vendor thinking that more online counselors will automatically increase capacity (and without thinking about scope of care). However, if the counseling center is spending the majority of sessions on high needs students, then a more effective, and often less expensive approach, might be to arrange specialized services for this group of students. A discussed in a 2022 report by Inside Higher Ed, many current counseling center's clients have previously received services from the center. It's not surprising that, without after-care services, many students with episodic symptoms will return to the center and need additional services. There are several ways to provide after-care services. Some centers might provide individualized self-management plans upon termination of counseling. As discussed in the report by Inside Higher Ed, other centers might expand the principles within the field of substance use disorders and promote a mindset of recovery and peer support for those who've completed counseling. The report by Inside Higher Ed also discussed how many staff counselors experience high levels of burnout. Because counselors with high levels of burnout might be less efficient, counseling centers should address sources of high burnout. For some counselors, serving on crisis/on-call rotations is a high source of burnout; however, other staff members might enjoy this work more than carrying a caseload. Thus, realigning staff duties to accommodate these preferences might be helpful. Other options include flex-scheduling, pre-determined caseload sizes, reducing outside committee assignments, and regular team building and self-care activities. Many counseling centers have a robust mental health outreach program, but sometimes these programs are similar to those provided by a campus health promotion office. For large campuses, redundant programing is often needed, and there may be times in which saturating a campus with an outreach initiative is warranted. However, if a counseling center is struggling with capacity, and the campus has an active health promotion office, then it might be helpful for the health promotion office to take the lead in conducting outreaches. It's possible that other campus partners can also meet certain sub-clinical needs better than the counseling center. For example, a student success office might be better equipped to address concerns related to procrastination and time management. Likewise, a student activities office might be better equipped to address homesickness. Few, if any, campus partners can provide the clinical services that the counseling center provides. Thus, avoiding redundant services is often a key to increasing capacity.
