US measles cases surpass 1,000 for first time in 5 years

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By Christy Santhosh

(Reuters) – The number of measles cases in the United States has crossed 1,000 for the first time in five years, federal data showed on Friday, as the country battles one of its worst outbreaks of the childhood disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,001 measles cases in 31 jurisdictions, as of Thursday.

The CDC count does not reflect the latest data from Texas, the epicenter of the current measles outbreak, where cases have increased by seven to a total of 709.

Researchers have warned that the United States is at a tipping point for the return of endemic measles, a quarter century after the disease was declared eradicated in the country.

Infections only previously surpassed the 1,000 mark in 2019 when the country reported 1,274 cases.

“I think we are still at risk of seeing these numbers at least stay steady, if not continue to increase over time,” said Lisa Maragakis, senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The outbreak in Texas, which has led to the deaths of two children and hundreds more being infected, is centered in a Mennonite community and has spread to neighboring states including New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas.

The CDC said 13% of those infected with the disease this year have been hospitalized. There have been three confirmed deaths so far.

There have been 14 outbreaks, defined as three or more related cases, reported in 2025, the CDC said.

U.S. pediatricians and infectious disease experts say that the fight against rising measles cases nationwide is being hampered by a lack of forceful advocacy for vaccination by government health officials and by misleading statements about unproven treatments that confuse parents.

The measles vaccine is 97% effective after two doses, according to the CDC.

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas and Mohammed Safi Shamsi)