More U.S. States Declare Measles Outbreaks Amid Declining Vaccination Rates
Data shows that measles cases have reached the highest level in the past 33 years. The two-dose MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective at preventing measles infection.
The Texas measles outbreak — the largest in the United States in more than two decades — might be over, but new outbreaks are popping up around the country, sending hundreds of students into quarantine.
Experts define an outbreak as the occurrence of three or more confirmed measles cases in a specific geographic area within a month.
Last week, Utah reported six new cases, bringing its total to 55 for the year. Minnesota’s annual count climbed to 20 after two new infections were recorded, while a newly reported case in Michigan pushed its number to 28.
In central Ohio, a fresh outbreak was announced in an October 9 X post with the identification of four new cases.
South Carolina confirmed the state’s 11th case of 2025 — eight of which were recorded since September 25. “What this new case tells us is that there is active unrecognized community transmission of measles,” Linda Bell, MD, an epidemiologist with the South Carolina Department of Public Health, said in a press conference last week.
Hundreds of Students in Quarantine
With more than 1,560 infections recorded this year across 41 states, measles cases have reached the highest level in 33 years.
This highly contagious and life-threatening virus largely affects unvaccinated children. The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that 27 percent of this year’s cases have been among children under age 5, while young people ages 5 to 19 have accounted for 39 percent of infections. More than 90 percent of those infected with measles have either been unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown.
In South Carolina last week, more than 150 unvaccinated students were sent into quarantine for 21 days because of exposure to measles.
After reports of a small outbreak in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, 118 students have been put under quarantine, according to several media outlets.
Why Are Measles Outbreaks Happening?
Measles is the most contagious virus known to humans, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
The two-dose measles vaccine MMR is considered safe and 97 percent effective at preventing the disease, according to the CDC. Thanks to this vaccine, and an extensive vaccination program, the United States officially eradicated measles as of the year 2000, a status it continues to maintain today.
But with this latest spate of outbreaks, public health officials are worried that may change.
“Eradication means not having sustained transmission for 12 months,” says Catherine Troisi, PhD, an infectious disease epidemiologist with UTHealth Houston in Texas. “But we’re now reaching about 10 months of continued spread, so we’re in danger of having sustained local transmission.”
This threat has grown as vaccination rates have declined.
A report from the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found that 92.5 percent of kindergarteners had been vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) for the 2024–2025 school year — down from 95 percent for the 2019–2020 (pre-pandemic) school year, which is the level scientists say is needed to prevent community transmission of measles.
In a study published this year in JAMA, researchers showed that even under optimistic assumptions about the current vaccination rate, the United States would likely lose its elimination status within 25 years.
“We’ve seen continued transmission of measles since the beginning of the year, combined with a weakening of the national vaccination infrastructure and inconsistent, often times unscientific, messaging around vaccination, and I think barring a miracle, the U.S. will lose its elimination status,” says Mathew Kiang, ScD, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California.
Some people may not consider vaccination because they don’t realize how serious the illness can be, Dr. Troisi says.
“While most children who get measles survive, 1 in 5 who are unvaccinated are hospitalized, and 1 in 1,000 will get encephalitis [inflammation of the brain],” she says. “It can also cause hearing loss. Before widespread vaccination, measles was the No. 1 cause of deafness among children. Plus, three people have died this year from measles.”
No cure or antiviral medication exists for measles, but most peole who get infected recover within about 10 days by resting, eating well, and drinking plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration caused by diarrhea.
Troisi stresses that even a standard measles case that passes after a few days can be “miserable” to go through, with symptoms including:
Fever
Hacking cough
Blotchy rash
Watery eyes
Diarrhea
Ear infection
The best way to protect against this scenario, experts say, is to be vaccinated. “The MMR vaccine is safe and effective and is by far the best way to protect yourself and others you love from measles,” Dr. Kiang says.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
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DPH Confirms State’s 11th Measles Case in Greenville County, Eighth Related to Current Outbreak in Upstate. South Carolina Department of Public Health. October 9, 2025.
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