Measles cases in the US have reached a 33-year high, with nearly 1,300 cases reported in the last seven months, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 1,288 measles cases have been documented across the US, the highest since 1992, with more than 90% of those infected reported to be among unvaccinated people or those with unknown vaccine status, the CDC said Wednesday.
The surge in measles, which was once declared to be wiped out as part of nationwide vaccination effort, has been fueled by the outbreak that began in West Texas, with the bulk of the cases reported in the Lone Star State.
The 2025 outbreak has seen hundreds hospitalized by the disease and resulted in the first US measles-related deaths in 10 years, including an unvaccinated child who died in February.
The CDC confirmed that measles cases have now spread to 38 states, including New York and New Jersey, with 88 percent of the infections linked to the outbreak.
The outbreak mimics the 2019 scare that fueled New York’s cases to soar and push the number of cases in the US to 1,274.
While the US touted that it eliminated the disease 25 years ago, declining vaccination rates have left vulnerable pockets for measles to spread.
The outbreak first occurred around communities with lower vaccination rates in Texas, with the state seeing more than 750 cases reported so far in 2025.
The cases have spread across the country, with Kentucky officials declaring their own outbreak on Tuesday after 11 infections popped up.
All cases involved people who are not fully vaccinated against measles, according to state officials.
In order to prevent a measles outbreak, at least 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated against the disease, according to the CDC.
Children are normally required to have both measles shots to attend public schools, but dozens of states have allowed families to forgo the vaccination process, with nonmedical exemptions for the shot climbing since 2010.
Only 92.7% of kindergartners were fully vaccinated during the last school year nationwide, with some states and cities seeing far lower percentages, the CDC warned.
The outbreak has brought renewed scrutiny against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been criticized for his approach to vaccines and spreading unproven treatments for measles.
Doctors have also warned that the outbreak of measles can lead to a rise in Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), also known as Dawson disease.
SSPE is a rare form of progressive brain inflammation caused by a persistent infection with the measles virus, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The condition typically develops seven to 10 years after the initial measles infection, with no known cure. SSPE cases are almost always fatal, according to health officials.
