Measles Outbreaks

Measles Outbreaks May 2025

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that measles outbreaks continued in May 2025. In 2024, 184 WHO Member States reported 664,144 suspected measles cases.

On April 26, 2025, a total of 2,318 measles cases, including three deaths, have been confirmed in six countries in the WHO Region of the Americas, an 11-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024. On March 24, 2025, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/WHO issued a Risk Assessment stating the overall risk of measles outbreaks in the Americas Region is classified as "High." The PAHO reported over 14,000 measles cases in 2024. In 2023, 14,884 suspected measles cases were reported in the Americas.

As of April 29, 2025, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a global Watch-Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Notice, identifying measles outbreaks in 57 countries, which include Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of South Sudan, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and Zambia.

United States Measles Outbreaks 2025

As of April 18, 2025, the CDC reported 800 measles cases in 25 jurisdictions, including Alaska, Georgia, New Mexico, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported 622 measles cases and two related fatalities in various counties, including Cochran, Dallam, Dawson, Gaines, Garza, Lynn, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry, and Yoakum, as of April 18, 2025. In 2025, there were four cases in Harris County (Houston). Travis County (Austin), and 19 in Upshur County.

The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (CDCHAN-00522) regarding measles outbreaks in western Texas on March 7, 2025. The US CDC reported 128 measles DNA sequences. Texas submitted 92 identical DNA sequences in genotype D8, while 10 DNA sequences from New Mexico and one from Kansas were similar to those from Texas. Additionally, five distinct genotype B3 sequences were reported from the States of Alaska, California, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. The WHO DON 561 reported on March 27, 2025, that the source of this measles outbreak is unknown. 

The Annual Report on Immunization Status of Texas Students for the 2023-2024 School Year indicates a high statewide vaccination rate of over 94%.

United States Measles Outbreaks 2024

As of December 31, 2024, the US CDC reported 285 measles cases (49 imported) in 33 jurisdictions: Arizona, California (San Diego, Los Angeles), Florida (Broward, 10), Georgia, Idaho, Illinois (Chicago (67)), Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota (70), Kansas City, Missouri, New Jersey (Camden, Monmouth, Somerset counties), New York (New York City (13)), Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio (Cincinnati), Oregon (31), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. About 56% of cases were hospitalized for management of measles complications, and 39% were under five years of age. As of 2024, there are no CDC recommendations for receiving a third MMR dose during measles outbreaks.

United States Measles Outbreaks 2023

The US CDC reported 59 measles cases in 20 jurisdictions across the United States in 2023. The majority of these cases were related to unvaccinated international travelers in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

United States Measles Outbreaks 2022

 According to the CDC, there were 121 measles cases in the US in 2022. Between 2000 and 2022, there was an 18% increase in estimated measles cases and a 43% increase in estimated measles deaths compared with 2021. The Health Department of the City of Columbus, Ohio, and Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) reported 85 confirmed measles cases in children, with 80 of the cases being unvaccinated and 36 resulting in hospitalization.

Africa Measles Outbreaks

The WHO AFRO reported in 2023, measles outbreaks were reported in Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Yemen, and Zambia. Morocco's Ministry of Health reported over 10,000 measles cases, including 21 deaths, in 2025. Since October 2023, over 31,000 cases and 132 deaths have been reported. The most affected regions include Souss-Massa, Marrakech-Safi, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, and Fez-Meknes. As of November 2023, Yemen's measles outbreak exceeded 26,000 cases. 

Australia Measles Outbreaks

As of February 2025, the Department of Health in Western Australia is aware of a confirmed measles case in a returned overseas traveler. NSW Health reported a second measles case related to international travel on 14 February 2024. In Sydney, an infectious adult recently returned from Southeast Asia. On January 24, 2024, NSW Health advised people that one confirmed measles case in the Australian Capital Territory was infectious while transiting through Sydney. On January 23, 2024, Victoria Health confirmed (Alert number 240124) a new case of measles in a returned overseas traveler. NSW Health confirmed a local case of measles in September 2022.

Bermuda Measles Cases

Bermuda's Ministry of Health's Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit is investigating a suspected case of measles. As of February 4, 2025, public health measures were implemented, including identifying individuals who may have been exposed to measles and would be considered close contacts. 

Brazil Measles Cases

The Rio de Janeiro State Health Department (SES-RJ) reported in March 2025 that it received confirmation of two measles cases in São João de Meriti. In 2024, Rio de Janeiro confirmed two measles cases. Brazil was re-verified as measles-free in 2024 following a review by the Measles and Rubella Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission following an outbreak that began in 2018

Canada Measles Outbreak

Health Canada is reporting an excessive number of measles cases in 2025. As of May 2, 2025, over 1.177 measles cases had been reported in Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. From October 2024 to May 2025, Public Health Ontario reported 933 measles cases associated with this outbreak. As of April 10, 2025, Ontario's Southwestern Public Health reported about 40% of Canada's measles cases during 2025. Ontario's largest city, Toronto, confirmed its third measles case in 2025, all linked to travel. In 2024, The Public Health Department reported ten measles cases in Toronto.

England Measles Outbreak

As of April 11, 2025, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported 213 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England. In 2024, 2,011 laboratory-confirmed measles cases were reported in England, including London. In January 2024, the UKHSA declared a national measles incident in the West Midlands and London regions in England.

Europe Measles Outbreak

According to an analysis by the WHO and UNICEF on March 13, 2025, 127,350 measles cases were reported in the European Region in 2024, double the number reported in 2023. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed in 2025 that measles cases were reported in 30 countries. The European Region accounted for a third of all measles cases globally in 2024. The ECDC reported that about 87% of these measles patients were unvaccinated.

The European Region accounted for a third of all measles cases globally in 2024. An analysis by WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund found 127,350 measles cases were reported in the European Region for 2024, the highest number since 1997.

Between February 2024 and January 2025, 27,568 reported the most cases of measles across the EU/EEA. The European CDC (ECDC) issued an epidemiological alert for measles outbreaks in 2024, including reports on ongoing outbreaks in Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Romania. In 2023, the WHO European Region reported measles cases in 41 of the 53 Member States.

Eurosurveillance published a Rapid Communication in February 2024 identifying three measles virus genetic mutations in 18 countries, which resulted in a loss in polymerase chain reaction test sensitivity. These researchers said measles variants have been detected in 18 countries since 2021. On February 15, 2024, Eurosurveillance reported that Italian researchers described detections of the bed five genotype D8 measles detections from areas in and around Milan, Italy. Genotypes B3 and D8 were identified in Canada in 2023. 

India Measles Outbreaks

The US CDC reported in September 2023 that India has reported about 24,000 measles cases over the past year. The WHO announced in August 2023 that India had vaccinated over 348 million children between 2017 and March 2023. 

Argentina Measles Outbreaks

In February 2025, the fourth case of measles was confirmed in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Philippines Measles Outbreaks

On May 2, 2024, the US Embassy in Manila confirmed a measles health alert. The Philippines Department of Health reported that the ongoing measles outbreak reached over 2,500 in 2023. The Philippines reported 589 confirmed measles cases in 2022 and 206 cases in 2021.

Measles Outbreak Costs

In April 2021, the journal Pediatrics published a study indicating that treatment costs were $47,479 per hospitalized case during a measles outbreak. In January 2020, Clinical Infectious Diseases published a meta-study calculating the median price per hospitalized measles case as $32,805.

Measles Testing

After MMR vaccination, syndromic panels can detect the measles vaccine virus, which is not transmitted to others and does not cause disease in immunocompetent persons. The US CDC reported in March 2024 that among syndromic test panels conducted by a commercial laboratory, approximately 1% were positive for measles. Patients who received these results were children without known measles risk factors who had been vaccinated against measles; the majority <3 Weeks previously. Their results were attributed to the detection of the measles vaccine virus.

Measles Vaccines

During a measles outbreak, the US CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) outlines cases for administering a third MMR dose.