The US Is In For Another Bad Year of Measles Cases

"Measles cases in the United States reached their highest level in more than 30 years in 2025, with 2,242 confirmed infections. A particularly bad outbreak in West Texas that began in January of last year was a significant driver of those cases. Now, a surge of measles in South Carolina is on track to outpace the West Texas outbreak, which could mean another year of high measles cases. "I'm concerned," says Susan Kline, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota."

"The outbreak in South Carolina began last fall, when the state's health department reported an initial eight measles cases on October 2. An outbreak is defined as three or more cases linked to a common exposure. That number climbed to 176 by the end of the year. As of January 20, the state has confirmed 646 cases -most of them in the "upstate" region, the northwestern corner of the state. The West Texas measles outbreak resulted in 762 confirmed cases with 99 hospitalizations and two deaths among school-age children, both of whom were unvaccinated."

"The outbreak was officially declared over in August, seven months after it began. "We feel like we're really kind of staring over the edge, knowing that this is about to get a lot worse," said Johnathon Elkes, an emergency medicine physician at Prisma Health in Greenville, South Carolina, in a January 16 call with reporters. Measles is highly contagious, and the virus can linger in the air for hours after a person sneezes or coughs. Initial symptoms typically include a high fever, cough, and runny nose. The characteristic blo"

Measles cases in the United States reached 2,242 confirmed infections in 2025, the highest level in more than 30 years. A West Texas outbreak that began in January drove many cases, producing 762 confirmed infections, 99 hospitalizations, and two deaths among unvaccinated school-age children; that outbreak lasted seven months. A South Carolina outbreak that began last fall grew from eight initial cases to 646 confirmed cases by January 20, concentrated in the upstate region. Vaccination rates nationwide have declined in recent years, and political hostility toward vaccines has increased outbreak risk. Measles is highly contagious and causes high fever, cough, and runny nose.

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