US measles cases topped 2,000 in 2025, highest total in more than 30 years

WASHINGTON — The United States recorded more than 2,000 measles cases in 2025, the highest yearly total in more than three decades, as outbreaks continue to spread in several states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Dec. 30, 2,065 measles cases had been confirmed across 43 states, data from the CDC shows. The agency reported 49 separate outbreaks over the course of the year. 

The last time the country saw more cases in a single year was 1992, which was before doctors routinely recommended two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine for children. That year saw 2,126 confirmed infections.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. Symptoms, which appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus, include fever, cough, rash, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Complications can include ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia and brain inflammation.

The U.S. has been considered measles-free since 2000, meaning that enough of the country’s population is vaccinated that widespread outbreaks are prevented. The rising number of unvaccinated people in the country could threaten that status. 

The CDC says one dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective, while two doses are 97% effective at preventing infection. 

However, vaccination rates have fallen in recent years. During the 2024-25 school year, the CDC reported 92.5% of kindergarteners had received the MMR vaccine, below the 95% coverage public health experts say is needed to prevent outbreaks.

One of 2025’s largest outbreaks started in West Texas and spread into New Mexico, ending in August after hundreds of cases and the deaths of two children and one adult, all of whom were unvaccinated.

In South Carolina, health officials confirmed a measles outbreak in October that has grown to 179 cases, with dozens of new infections reported in recent weeks. Nearly 300 people have been placed in quarantine after being exposed at school.

Another outbreak along the Utah-Arizona border has grown to more than 350 cases combined.

Nationwide, the CDC reports that about 93% of cases this year were among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown. About 11% of patients have been hospitalized, and more than half are under age 19.

Health officials also warn that genetic links between outbreaks in different states suggest measles could continue spreading into early 2026.

“The trajectory that we’re looking at now is that we do anticipate more cases well into January,” Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s state epidemiologist, told CNN. “What that means for us nationally in terms of how they are defining our designation in this country as having eliminated measles is unclear.”