Measles infections in the U.S. have topped 1,000 in 2025 as cases continue to crop up in new states. While Texas remains the epicenter battling the largest number of cases, the presence of measles has been confirmed in 30 states by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as of Friday, March 9.

The weekly CDC update counted 1,001 confirmed cases, with 14 separate outbreaks (defined by the agency as three or more related cases) and 93% of infections being outbreak-associated. These numbers have surpassed the totality of last year's infections, which added up to just 285 across 32 states with 16 distinct outbreaks and 69% of cases being outbreak-associated.

The majority of this year's infections (67% or 675) have been reported in children and teens under the age of 20 and 96% of infections have occurred in people who are unvaccinated or of unknown vaccination status. There have been three confirmed measles deaths, two children and one adult, thus far in 2025.

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease that was previously eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning there was no spread and new cases were only those contracted from abroad. Vaccine rates have declined, resulting in a growing number of states no longer reporting rates consistent with herd immunity, and infections have returned.

The last outbreak of a similar scale occurred in 2019, when a total of 1,274 cases were confirmed across the country. Having already surpassed the 1,000 mark in only the fifth month of the year, however, 2025 is shaping up to be the largest outbreak in 25 years.

Which states have reported measles cases in 2025?

Measles cases have been reported in 30 states as of May 9. CDC data counts New York City separately from New York State, meaning it is technically tracking 31 "jurisdictions."

Infections have been reported in the following states, plus New York City: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

What is measles and how do you get it?

Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily, and most severely, affects children. According to the World Health Organization, it infects the respiratory tract before spreading throughout the body.

The virus is one of the most contagious infectious diseases to exist; so contagious, in fact, that 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed end up contracting it. Additionally, one in five of those people end up hospitalized, according to the CDC.

The MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) protects against measles with a 97% efficacy rate and is typically given to children as part of the regular course between the ages of 12 and 15 months for the first dose and ages 4 to 6 for the second.

What are the symptoms of measles?

According to the CDC, measles symptoms appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. Measles rashes appear three to five days after the onset of the first symptoms.

RFK Jr. gives mixed messages on measles vaccination

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation's top health official, has issued mixed messages to parents amid the outbreak, encouraging the vaccine but falsely linking it to adverse outcomes and suggesting remedies that experts have warned against, such as the use of vitamin A for prevention and treatment.

Despite RFK Jr. saying he isn't anti-vaccine during confirmation hearings, he has continually falsely linked vaccines to autism, co-founded an anti-vaccine group and urged parents not to vaccinate their children. Though the current outbreak resulted in the first measles deaths in a decade, RFK initially called the surge in cases "not unusual.”

Experts have warned against RFK's misinformation, saying his claims (such as encouraging parents to use vitamin A at home to treat or prevent measles, later leading to reports of hospitalizations due to vitamin A toxicity), are not based in science and that vaccines are the only effective form of protection. (Source: USA Today)

Story Date: May 10, 2025