U.S. Faces Largest Measles Outbreak Since 2000

Apr 25, 2025

THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The United States is now experiencing its largest measles outbreak since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, federal scientists confirmed this week.

At least 800 measles cases have been reported nationwide this year, and experts suspect the number is even higher, The New York Times reported.

Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico are seeing the most cases, with Texas alone having reported 624 since late January, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

“This is the largest outbreak in the U.S. since measles elimination was declared in 2000,” Dr. Dan Filardo, who leads the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) measles task force, told state health officials.

The CDC is sending seven more staff members to Texas to help manage the outbreak, Filardo added.

Two young girls in Texas, both unvaccinated, have died from the disease — the first measles deaths in the U.S. in 10 years.

About 70% of cases nationwide have been among children, with a median age of 8. Eighty-five people with measles — roughly 11% — have been hospitalized.

Many of the people sickened were not vaccinated. Vaccination status of others is unknown.

Mennonite communities, which tend to have lower vaccination rates, have been hit especially hard, The Times reported.

Cases have also been reported in similar communities in Ontario, Canada (with nearly 1,000 cases) and Chihuahua, Mexico (with more than 400 cases).

“With ongoing weddings, large religious gatherings and celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of Mennonite origins, we remain concerned about the possibility of additional spread of measles across North American Plains communities as the year goes on,” Filardo said.

The outbreak could surpass the 2019 total of 1,249 cases, which prompted an 11-month response involving hundreds of public health workers and more than $8 million in spending, officials said.

Budget cuts and layoffs have slowed the current response.

Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist at the CDC, said that the agency is “scraping to find the resources” to support states affected by the outbreaks.

Outbreak response has also been complicated by mixed messages from other health officials. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has downplayed vaccines and promoted unproven treatments like cod liver oil.

In Texas, doctors say patients are delaying real medical care and relying on supplements Kennedy endorsed.

CDC scientists strongly support vaccines, however.

“As we all know, vaccination remains the best tool to prevent and respond to measles outbreaks,” Filardo said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the current status of the measles outbreak.

SOURCE: The New York Times, April 22, 2025