Measles Outbreak Escalates: Texas Cases Surpass 599; U.S. Numbers Exceed Last Year’s Total
A measles outbreak in Texas has exceeded 499 cases with three reported deaths, two children and one adult. Nationwide, 642 measles cases have been reported thus far in 2025, already surpassing the 285 cases recorded for all of 2024. Approximately 95% of infections occurred in unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status. Only a few percent of cases were in fully vaccinated individuals, underscoring the effectiveness of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. The CDC mentioned that the Measles vaccines “are among the safest and most effective tools in modern medicine, providing lifelong protection with just two doses. Their safety record is exceptional, with serious side effects extremely rare and vastly outweighed by the risks of measles itself” (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr6204a1.htm). Testing can help with the prevention of spread, such as through Measles PCR testing to detect early stages of the disease. https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/second-child-dies-from-measles-related-causes-as-texas-outbreak-continues-to-spread/ar-AA1CoGyw.
Canada is also experiencing dramatically increased measles activity from last year, with 224 cases, compared to 146 all of last year, and Europe has reported dramatic increases. The World Health Organization (WHO) European Region, encompassing parts of Central Asia, reported an alarming 127,350 measles cases in 2024, up dramatically from just 4,400 cases in 2016. In the 12 months before February 2025, Romania with 30,692 infections accounted for 85% of the EU’s 32,265 cases (over 8 fold increase from12 months earlier 3,874). https://measles-rubella-monthly.ecdc.europa.eu/ In central Asia, Kazakhstan reported 28,147 cases. The EU reports that under 70% were vaccinated in Romania, UNICEF notes that fewer than 80% of eligible children were vaccinated in places such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, while a 95% coverage rate is required for herd immunity (https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/european-region-reports-highest-number-measles-cases-more-25-years-unicef-whoeurope).
Exposures at major international airports, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Reagan National Airport (DCA), and Calgary International Airport (YYC) have raised alarms about accelerating international spread of measles. Airports act as critical transmission hubs due to the high volume of international travelers, the virus’s extreme contagiousness, and the lengthy incubation period (7-21 days). Exposures on a train from Boston through DC have also been reported.
Historically, 150,000 cases of measles occurred per year in the US in the early 1900s, and were a cause of high levels of child mortality. Widespread efforts to reduce infection in the early part of the century were augmented by vaccinations starting in the 1960s resulting in the elimination of local transmission in the U.S. by 2000. Recent outbreaks underscore how quickly the disease can resurge when vaccination rates decline. Measles is a severe disease causing neurological (seizures, hearing loss, intellectual disability) and respiratory (pneumonia) consequences, including about 3 deaths in 1,000 in developed countries, immune system effects including a loss of prior immunity, and is highly infectious (RO).
In the early 20th century, approximately 30% of children in the United States died before reaching adulthood, often from infectious diseases like measles. With the advent of vaccines and other public health measures, childhood mortality dropped below 1%. This dramatic shift not only saved lives—it reshaped societal expectations. Where families once feared the loss of a child as a common possibility, they could now expect their children to survive and grow up. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4838a2.htm, https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm4812.pdf, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data-visualization/mortality-trends/index.htm
There is also concern regarding the long-term health consequences of measles, as it can leave patients susceptible to other illnesses due to the (depletion of t-cells?) (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/well/measles-outbreaks-effects-complications.html#after-bottom). It can also lead to a phenomenon described as “immune amnesia”, in which the virus attacks the immune system’s memory cells, making it more difficult for the body to protect against other pathogens. This is something everyone suffering from measles experiences, although to varying degrees, but it can last for up to 3 years. Long-term complications are particularly concerning for children https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/05/health/measles-children-symptoms.html and even more for immunocompromised children, who are at a greater risk of developing brain swelling, for example. The American Society of Microbiology describes this with, “The risk associated with measles infection is much greater than the sum of its observable symptoms” (https://asm.org/Articles/2019/May/Measles-and-Immune-Amnesia). Given the highly transmissible nature of the disease, in a room of exposed people, 90% of unvaccinated individuals would develop the disease, and “the microbe can linger in the air for up to 2 hours”. Further, it takes around 2-3 years post-measles infection for protective immune memory to be restored.
Vitamin A deficiency has been linked to more severe measles infections, and supplementation has been shown to help reduce complications. This shows the value of nutritional support alongside vaccination—but not as a replacement, especially since many measles cases occur in people who aren’t vaccinated. Overemphasizing the benefits of vitamin A can lead to overuse and harm, so it’s important to avoid excessive dosing, which can cause vitamin A toxicity (https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/some-measles-patients-in-west-texas-show-signs-of-vitamin-a-toxicity-doctors-say-raising-concerns-about-misinformation/ar-AA1BJxQM).