In 2000, the World Health Organization and CDC said measles had been eliminated from the U.S. The closer a disease gets to eradication, the harder it can seem to stamp it out, said Dr. Jonathan Temte, a family physician in Wisconsin who helped certify that distinction 25 years ago.
The United States is experiencing its most severe measles outbreak in more than three decades, with 1,288 cases confirmed so far in 2025, according to new data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health experts warn the actual number may be even higher due to underreporting.
This year’s count has already surpassed 2019’s total—when the U.S. nearly lost its measles elimination status—and could soon jeopardize that designation again if sustained transmission continues for 12 months. Though the numbers are still far below the 1991 peak of 9,643 cases, the surge is deeply troubling to public health officials.
The CDC continues to urge Americans to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, calling it the most effective way to prevent infection. The agency said it is working closely with local health departments to contain outbreaks and has deployed response teams to Texas, New Mexico, and Kansas.
Currently, 14 states are battling active outbreaks. Four states have recently ended theirs. The largest outbreak began five months ago in West Texas, particularly in undervaccinated communities. So far, three people—two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico—have died, and dozens more have been hospitalized nationwide.
There are some signs of progress. In Lubbock County, Texas, which treated many of the state’s severe cases, no new infections have been reported in over 50 days, according to Public Health Director Katherine Wells.
Still, Wells warned that the virus continues to spread beyond Texas. “What concerned me early on was whether it would reach other parts of the country—and now it definitely has,” she said.
The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000—a milestone achieved through decades of vaccination efforts. But according to Dr. Jonathan Temte, a Wisconsin family physician who helped certify that status, maintaining it has proven increasingly difficult.
“It’s disheartening to see measles reemerge when we have such effective tools to prevent it,” Temte said. The two-dose MMR vaccine is 97% effective, yet many are choosing not to vaccinate their children.
That hesitancy is growing. CDC data shows only 92.7% of U.S. kindergarteners were vaccinated during the 2023–2024 school year—below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks. A recent study also found that childhood vaccination rates dropped after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the 2,000 U.S. counties with available data.
Wells expressed concern over the combination of vaccine skepticism and stagnant funding for local public health initiatives. “We talk a lot about outbreak preparedness, but our system needs more investment,” she said.
Experts say the measles resurgence may be a warning of broader vaccine resistance. “This is the canary in the coal mine,” said Lauren Gardner, who leads measles and COVID-19 tracking efforts at Johns Hopkins University. “It reflects a deeper problem with vaccine attitudes in this country—and it’s likely to worsen.”
Beyond the U.S., North America is seeing major measles outbreaks elsewhere. Mexico’s Chihuahua state has reported 2,966 cases, Ontario, Canada has 2,223, and Alberta has 1,246. Many of these outbreaks, like the one in Texas, stem from under-vaccinated Mennonite communities. While Mennonite churches do not officially oppose vaccines, conservative groups within them often distrust government and medical authorities.
In 2019, the CDC tracked 22 separate outbreaks in the U.S., with the largest linked to Orthodox Jewish communities in New York—702 cases in New York City and 412 in surrounding areas—where measles spread rapidly through tight-knit, undervaccinated populations.
With half the year still ahead, public health officials are bracing for more challenges. The threat of losing measles elimination status looms once again, serving as a stark reminder of how quickly progress can be undone when vaccination rates fall.
