With 1,277 confirmed cases as of July 5, the United States is facing its worst measles outbreak since 2000, when the disease was declared “eliminated” thanks to vaccinations. The figure, released by the Johns Hopkins Center for Outbreak Response Innovation, has already surpassed the total recorded for all of 2019 and threatens to put pressure on health care systems in many states.
Measles is a highly contagious disease: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five affected patients requires hospitalization. Symptoms generally appear 7 to 14 days after infection and include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. After 3 to 5 days, the characteristic rash appears, often accompanied by high fever. So-called Koplik’s spots, tiny white lesions inside the mouth typical of the disease, may also appear.
The current outbreak has already caused 155 hospitalizations, including 110 among children and 45 among adults. Three deaths have been confirmed: two unvaccinated children in West Texas and one unvaccinated adult in New Mexico. The main outbreak was identified in West Texas, where there were 753 cases distributed in 36 counties. Gaines County alone accounts for 55 percent of the cases reported in the state, largely within a Mennonite community characterized by low vaccination rates.
In total, 39 states have reported cases. Active epidemics, defined as the presence of at least three related cases, are ongoing in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Utah. Kentucky also recorded its first outbreak in the past month.
The MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine remains the most effective tool for preventing the disease. CDC recommends administration of the first dose between 12 and 15 months of age and the second dose between 4 and 6 years of age. According to Dr. Mathew Kiang, professor of epidemiology at Stanford University, if vaccination rates remain unchanged, measles could become endemic again in the United States within the next 20 years.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed the deaths in Texas, but received criticism for his handling of the outbreak, which many experts considered contrary to traditional public health strategies.
According to Miranda Yaver, professor of health policy at the University of Pittsburgh, over-politicization of health decisions and declining trust in institutions are exacerbating the crisis, making it more difficult to contain the epidemic and effectively address future health emergencies.
The measles epidemic of 2025 is shaping up to be a major public health emergency, with numbers already higher than in 2019 and a spread that is likely to expand further. Only strengthening vaccination campaigns and restoring confidence in health authorities will prevent even more serious consequences.
