WASHINGTON — Measles cases in the U.S. have reached a 33-year high, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI).
The center reports that there are now 1,277 confirmed cases across 38 states and the District of Columbia, the highest annual tally since 1992.
The U.S. achieved measles-free status in 2000, but the troubling upward trajectory of cases puts that reputation at risk.
“It’s a harbinger of things to come,” Eric Ball, a leading pediatrician, told the Washington Post. “Once we see a resurgence of measles, we know that other diseases are going to come behind it.”
Even amid a flurry of vaccine disinformation, the rate of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella vaccine) jabs administered in 2019 was at 95 percent—the rate experts believe curtails outbreaks.
It has now slid to below 93 percent, and outbreaks are occurring in dozens of states. Anti-vaccine messaging and distrust in federal health agencies have contributed to the nadir.
Three people have died of measles-related complications this year, while 155 people have been hospitalized.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that just three people died of measles complications in the period between 2001 and 2024.
The United States has recorded the most measles cases in a single year since a 2019 wave, and the number continues to grow, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows. The majority of the infections have been reported in an outbreak in West Texas that has led to the deaths of two children.
The number of cases in Texas alone has grown to over 750, while total cases nationwide have topped 1,200, with infections confirmed in at least 37 states.
Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases, and in some cases, can cause severe infections in the lungs and brain that can lead to cognitive issues, deafness or death. But doctors and health officials say the vaccine, which is normally given as part of the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, is highly safe and effective.
While most people’s symptoms improve, about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who get measles will be hospitalized. About 1 out of every 1,000 children with measles will develop brain swelling that can lead to brain damage, and up to 3 of every 1,000 children who become infected will die, the CDC says.
The largest outbreak so far this year has been in West Texas, but cases have been reported in other states around the country, as well.
The Texas outbreak is primarily affecting children and teenagers, nearly all of whom were unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. State and local health officials confirmed the first patient who died was an unvaccinated school-aged child, and the second was an unvaccinated 8-year-old girl. Neither of the children had underlying health conditions, the Texas health department said. New Mexico also reported the death of an adult with measles.
