U.S. Measles Cases Hit 35-Year High As Vaccination Rates Fall
U.S. measles cases this year have climbed to a 35-year high as vaccination rates fall, public health officials warned on Wednesday.[1]
CBS News' maps and charts show outbreaks clustered in pockets with low immunization across multiple states.[1] By mid-July, cases had already exceeded the full-year 2025 total, a threshold not seen in more than three decades.
In 2025, the U.S. recorded 2,289 confirmed measles cases, including more than 750 tied to a West Texas outbreak that killed two children. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show kindergarten measles vaccination fell from 95.2% in 2019-2020 to 92.7% in 2023-2024, and only 10 states met the 95% herd-immunity threshold. Most of the recent U.S. cases have occurred among unvaccinated people in communities with low immunization rates.
NIH director Jay Bhattacharya has urged parents to vaccinate children with standard childhood shots, stressing the importance of measles and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccines to prevent further spread. Public health leaders warn that declining vaccination coverage raises the risk of more outbreaks and severe illness.
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📌 Key Facts
- By mid-July 2026, U.S. measles cases had already exceeded the full-year 2025 total, the highest level in more than 30 years.
- In 2025, the U.S. recorded 2,289 confirmed measles cases, including more than 750 tied to a West Texas outbreak that killed two children.
- CDC data show kindergarten measles vaccination dropped from 95.2% in 2019-2020 to 92.7% in 2023-2024, with only 10 states meeting the 95% herd immunity threshold.
- Most recent U.S. measles cases have occurred among unvaccinated people in communities with low immunization rates.
- NIH director Jay Bhattacharya publicly urged parents to vaccinate children with standard childhood vaccines and highlighted the importance of measles and DTP shots.
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