How Many Measles Cases Are There in the US?

How Many Measles Cases Are There in the US?

As of November 25, 2025, 1,798 cases have been confirmed in 2025, 12% of which required hospitalization. There have been 3 confirmed deaths. This is the highest annual case count since the US declared measles eliminated in 2000.For context, there were 285 confirmed measles cases in all of 2024, with a 40% hospitalization rate. There were no reported deaths.

1.8K

measles cases confirmed in 2025 (as of November 25, 2025)

285

measles cases confirmed in all of 2024

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It’s been rare in the US, but some people are infected every year—often when they’re exposed while traveling internationally. The most common symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash. Though, measles can lead to serious health complications, especially in young children and people with weakened immune systems. So far in 2025, 66% of patients were 19 years old or younger.

Before a measles vaccine became available in 1963, an estimated 3 to 4 million people were infected each year, though far fewer cases were officially reported. Around 400 to 500 people died annually. Widespread vaccination led to a sharp decline in cases and measles was declared “eliminated” in the US (meaning it was no longer spreading continuously within the country) by 2000.

Elimination doesn’t mean zero new infections, and there were 85 reported measles cases in 2000. But that was 99.9% fewer than in 1958—five years before the vaccine’s release—when there were more than 763,000 reported cases.

Since then, annual case numbers have remained low overall, though they vary from year to year. There was a post-elimination peak in 2019; the 1,274 reported cases were more than 15 times the total in 2000, but still a fraction of the infections before widespread vaccination. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccination still plays a role in preventing the spread of measles. Of those with cases confirmed between January and November 25, 2025, 92% were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.

Measles case counts also vary by state. Some states (including Connecticut) report no cases, while others experience outbreaks, defined as three or more related cases in a specific area. In 2025, so far, there have been 46 outbreaks, linked to about 87% of reported cases. According to the CDC, outbreaks are more likely in communities with lower measles vaccination coverage. Vaccination rates and population density can influence how easily the virus spreads once it’s introduced.