Thanks to the introduction of a vaccine in 1963, measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. Now the highly contagious disease has reemerged as a threat as declining vaccination rates fuel outbreaks around the country. Measles cases have now reached a level not seen in more than three decades.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 9 reported 1,288 confirmed infections so far in 2025, the most since 1992. Three people have died from measles infections since the outbreak began in January, including two unvaccinated children in Texas. The vast majority of cases have been among unvaccinated people.