A measles outbreak is a serious public health situation, as measles can spread very easily. The United States is currently in the midst of a measles outbreak. The bulk of cases are in Texas and have also been contracted in many other states. There have already been over five hundred reported measles cases in 2025.
Most of the measles infections in this outbreak have affected children. Also, most of the cases have been contracted either by people who have not received vaccination for measles or for whom vaccination status is unknown. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all children receive vaccination against measles. The vaccine for measles was introduced in 1963 and has helped mitigate the spread of this extremely contagious disease.
Contagion, Symptoms, and Prevention
Measles is an extremely contagious disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that measles “is caused by a virus. It spreads easily.” The WHO states that the illness can be caught through “contact with infected nasal or throat secretions (coughing or sneezing) or breathing the air that was breathed by someone with measles.”
Symptoms of measles can include a rash, a runny nose, a cough, and a fever. The symptoms generally appear between ten and fourteen days after exposure to the disease. The WHO states that vaccination can help keep people from getting measles. Therefore, it is recommended that all children get vaccinated against this disease.
Measles Outbreaks in the United States
There is a definition of an outbreak that is provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This definition states that an outbreak happens when the number of cases of a disease exceeds what is generally expected. An important moment in terms of preventing measles outbreaks was the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963. Measles, a potentially very contagious disease, was considered to have been eliminated in 2000.
According to the NBC News website, a particular disease is thought to have been eliminated if it “has not spread continuously for at least 12 months.” While there have been some measles outbreaks since 2000, the number of cases has been drastically smaller than it had previously been. The year 2025 has already brought the third-largest number of measles cases since the year 2000.
Current Outbreak in the United States
Texas has had the majority of the cases in the 2025 outbreak. Three out of four of the current measles infections have occurred in Texas and have infected over four hundred people. This outbreak has mainly affected children between the ages of five and seventeen. The age group with the second largest number of cases is children who are four years old or under.
The ABC News website reports that four measles cases in Texas have occurred in people who have completed the full course of the vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella (the MMR vaccine). The site reports that one case of infection occurred in someone who completed one dose of the MMR vaccine. According to the ABC News website, the rest of the cases occurred in people who have not received the MMR vaccine or people about whom it is not known whether they have received the vaccine.
According to the website of the CBS 8 News Now station in Las Vegas, the CDC defines a measles outbreak as involving at least three connected cases of infection. Oklahoma, Ohio, Kansas, and New Mexico are all reported by CBS 8 News Now to have active outbreaks. CBS 8 News now reports that sixteen other states have also reported measles infections. There have been in total over five hundred total measles cases contracted in 2025. The total number of cases that have already been contracted in 2025 is already greater than the total number of cases in all of 2024.
