A deadly measles outbreak in Texas ended in August, but new outbreaks in other parts of the United States are still adding hundreds of cases to this year’s record total.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 27 new measles cases have been reported each week since the end of August. The national total has now reached 1,563 cases since January — the highest number since measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. 25 years ago.
There’s a new outbreak in Ohio, a rise in cases in Minnesota, and more than 150 unvaccinated schoolchildren in South Carolina are quarantined due to an ongoing outbreak there.
Before this year, the U.S. had only seen 10 large measles outbreaks — those with more than 50 related cases — since 2000. But an ongoing outbreak along the Arizona–Utah border has already become the third large one this year.
State health departments report more than 90 confirmed cases tied to that outbreak — at least 59 in Arizona and 36 in Utah — and numbers are still rising.
Utah’s state epidemiologist, Dr. Leisha Nolen, said there’s still plenty of room for the virus to spread.
“Unfortunately, I think we still have quite a while to go,” she said. “It’s moving through different communities, and I think we’re in the middle of it.”
Experts warn that any measles spread is a serious concern because it shows how falling vaccination rates are putting people at risk.
“When you see numbers like these, it’s because there are too many people who aren’t vaccinated,” said Dr. Scott Harris, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Measles cases happen every year in the U.S., often brought in by international travelers. But large outbreaks can only happen when many people in a community are unvaccinated. In Texas, 97% of the people infected this year hadn’t received both doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
“Parents are becoming more skeptical about vaccines,” Harris said. “If that weren’t true, we wouldn’t be seeing these outbreaks.”
CDC data shows that a record number of kindergartners had vaccine exemptions last school year, and vaccination rates for all major shots — including the MMR — have dropped again. The national MMR vaccination rate has fallen to 92.5%. Experts say at least 95% coverage is needed to stop measles from spreading. This is the fifth straight year it’s been below that level.
In Utah, health officials are using wastewater testing to track the virus and identify areas with low vaccination rates.
“We work with local health departments to alert families when measles is detected nearby and encourage vaccinations,” Nolen said. She added that vaccine hesitancy caused by misinformation has been a challenge, but more people have been getting vaccinated since the outbreak began.
In South Carolina, more than 150 unvaccinated students are in quarantine after measles exposure at two schools in Spartanburg County.
“Those students will stay home until the risk of spreading the disease has passed,” said Dr. Linda Bell, the state’s epidemiologist.
Bell explained that about 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to measles will get sick, making the outbreak especially concerning. The state has confirmed 11 measles cases this year, including seven linked to the Spartanburg County outbreak since late September.
Spartanburg County has one of the lowest vaccination rates in South Carolina, with fewer than 90% of students fully immunized last year. Rates there — and across the country — have been falling for years.
Responding to measles outbreaks is costly and demanding for local health departments, said Dr. Caitlin Rivers of Johns Hopkins University. “Health departments are already stretched thin,” she said. “Handling measles outbreaks drains their limited resources.”
The CDC has kept its measles data tracker running during the ongoing federal government shutdown, but some experts warn the real number of cases could be much higher — possibly around 5,000 nationwide.
Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said current trends show what happens when vaccination rates drop. He also criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for failing to clearly promote vaccination.
“We’re in the middle of a measles epidemic,” Offit said. “We need national leaders to tell parents to vaccinate their children. These illnesses are preventable.”
