The U.S. is in the grip of a devastating measles outbreak, the worst since the disease was declared to have been eliminated in 2000. As of 24 April 24 2025, 884 cases have been confirmed across 30 states, including over 600 children and teenagers, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The tragic deaths of three people have brought renewed attention to vaccination reluctance, the more so as almost half the confirmed cases have been recorded in Gaines County, West Texas. The virus is spreading in a tight-knit Mennonite community there which has poor vaccination rates, and where there is widespread skepticism about vaccines.
The measles vaccination rate in Gaines County is 82%, significantly lower than the statewide 94%. According to William John Moss, an epidemiology professor and the Executive Director of the International Vaccine Access Center, the highly contagious nature of measles requires that at least 95% of community members are vaccinated in order to attain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks.
In all of the U.S, Texas has the most cases with 646 measles infections being recorded since late January 2025, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Public health officials in Texas have warned that the state could declare a measles epidemic if the disease is not urgently contained.
Moreover, two of the three recorded measles-related deaths were also from Texas while the third fatality was from the bordering New Mexico State. The deaths in Texas were of school-aged unvaccinated children who had no underlying health issues, while the one in Lea County in New Mexico, was an unvaccinated adult who died in March.
CDC data shows that a single dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles while the medically recommended two doses have a 97% efficacy rate. For the unvaccinated who contract measles, one in five are hospitalized, and one out of 20 children contract pneumonia which is the most common cause of death from measles in young children. Also, one child in every 1,000 who contracts measles develops encephalitis (brain swelling) which can can cause convulsions and lead to the child becoming deaf or having an intellectual disability. Almost one to three of every 1,000 who become infected with measles die of respiratory and neurological complications.
An April 2025 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network projected that the U.S could see 51.2 million measles cases in the next 25 years if childhood vaccination rates decline below 50%, and this may result in the viral disease becoming endemic again.
“Measles is untreatable, it’s a virus, there is no treatment other than supportive care but it’s preventable, the vaccine is extremely safe, extremely effective,” said Dr. Ben Spitalnick of the Pediatric Associates of Savannah in Georgia, emphasizing measles could be prevented by vaccination during an interview with WRDW TV.
Health officials are calling for improvements to vaccination messaging to combat vaccine hesitancy, stricter quarantine measures, and improved contact tracing so that those infected can be quickly identified. Doctor Katherine Wells, Lubbock’s Public Health Director urged those with symptoms of measles to quickly seek medical care and remain isolated in their homes for 21 days, during which time the virus runs its course and subsides. She also asked the unvaccinated to get vaccinated to prevent avoidable deaths from measles.
“This demonstrates that this (vaccine exemption) policy puts the community, the county, and surrounding states at risk because of how contagious this disease is,” explained Doctor Glenn Fennelly, a paediatric infectious diseases specialist, and Assistant Vice President of global health at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso.
A 2021 study published in the National Library of Medicine estimated the cost of one measles case to be $47,479.
The spread of measles in the U.S has also spilled over into Mexico’s Chihuahua state, which borders Texas. Of Mexico’s 583 confirmed measles cases, 560 infections are in Chihuahua, as per an April 25 report. As a result, Mexico’s health ministry has issued travel warnings for the U.S and Canada, where cases are increasing rapidly. The warning urges those traveling to either country to be vaccinated, maintain social distancing, regularly wash their hands and wear masks.
