As government health officials struggle to contain the spreading virus, the measles outbreak is still growing, affecting 30 states across the United States.
Three Americans, including children, have died from measles complications this year, while federal authorities appear unable to stop the disease that was once declared eliminated in the United States more than two decades ago.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that measles continues its alarming spread across America, with Texas bearing the brunt of the outbreak.
The Lone Star State has reported 728 cases, including 94 hospitalizations and two deaths among school-aged children.
This marks Texas’ largest measles outbreak in 30 years, highlighting the growing vulnerability of communities with declining vaccination rates.
Neighboring states are also suffering significant outbreaks, with New Mexico reporting 78 cases, primarily concentrated in Lea County, including one death.
Kansas has documented 58 cases with genetic links to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks.
Meanwhile, health officials have identified 14 separate measles outbreaks nationwide in 2025, demonstrating the rapid geographic spread of a disease that was once considered eliminated from American soil.
Measles cases have reached at least 1,046 as the virus continues spreading across the U.S., according to CDC data updated Friday. https://t.co/5egfWH7KEO
— ABC News (@ABC) May 23, 2025
Moreover, CDC data revealed a troubling pattern: 96% of the reported cases are among unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status.
Despite decades of scientific evidence supporting vaccine safety, many communities have vaccination rates well below the 95% threshold needed to prevent measles outbreaks.
The consequences of this decline are now being felt across the country as the highly contagious virus finds susceptible populations.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,” the Texas Department of State Health Services warned.
The outbreaks are not confined to the United States. Across North America, alarming case counts are being reported, with Ontario, Canada documenting 1,795 cases, Alberta reporting 538, and Chihuahua, Mexico, counting 1,578 cases with three deaths.
While Dr. Manisha Patel of the CDC suggested the southwestern U.S. outbreak may be “leveling off,” the summer travel season threatens to spread the virus to new regions with susceptible populations.
Recent cases of infected travelers underscore this risk. An unvaccinated traveler with measles potentially exposed countless people at Denver International Airport and a nearby hotel.
At the same time, an infected King County resident in Washington state traveled through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport while contagious.
Even a Shakira concert at MetLife Stadium became a potential exposure site when a non-resident with measles attended the event.
Dr. Scott Roberts, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine and medical director of infection prevention at New Haven Hospital, said:
“I think the overall and overarching worry we have is that, as vaccination rates decline, we’re starting to now see very contagious diseases such as measles come back and, generally, you need a 95% immunity wall of the population to stop an outbreak. There are now many areas of the U.S. where we don’t hit that 95% and it’s much lower than that, and I think we’re seeing the consequences.”
The measles vaccine has been proven 97% effective with two doses. Yet, declining vaccination rates – fueled by misinformation, including debunked claims linking vaccines to autism – have created dangerous gaps in community protection.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reported that one of the Texas children died from “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure,” highlighting the severe consequences of this preventable disease.
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, with new cases typically originating from international travel.
However, the current outbreaks demonstrate how quickly the virus can regain a foothold when vaccination rates fall.
Symptoms include fever, rash, cough, fatigue, runny nose, and red eyes, which appear 10 to 14 days after exposure. Once the disease begins spreading in a community, it is difficult to contain.
