CDC Reports 800 Confirmed Measles Cases Across the US, 624 Being In Texas
94% of cases were tied to 10 outbreaks, Texas leading with 624 cases, while Michigan and Montana reported the first outbreaks since 2019 and 1990, respectively.
Child with measles rash.
Image credits: Unsplash
Updated News
As of yesterday, April 22, 2025, the Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 624 measles cases in West Texas, an increase of 27 since April 18. Fewer than 10 cases are currently infectious, based on rash onset timing. 64 people have been hospitalized since the outbreak began in late January. Two unvaccinated school-aged children with no underlying conditions have died. Ongoing transmission has been identified in 10 counties: Cochran, Dallam, Dawson, Gaines, Garza, Lynn, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry, and Yoakum. Health officials continue to recommend MMR vaccination to prevent further spread.1
Outbreak cases by County.
Image credits: Texas Department of State Health Services
Previous Update
As of April 18, 2025, the United States reports a total of 800 confirmed measles cases across 25 jurisdictions, marking a sharp rise from the 285 cases seen throughout all of 2024. The CDC confirms that 94 percent of this year’s cases are linked to 10 outbreaks, an increase of three from the previous week. The current pace suggests the 2025 total may soon surpass the 1,274 cases reported in 2019, the highest since measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.2
Texas remains the most affected state, reporting 597 cases, including 371 in Gaines County alone. Another 24 counties across Texas also report cases. The Texas Department of State Health Services identifies a new cluster of 15 cases in Upshur County, with investigations underway to determine whether these are connected to the West Texas outbreak.1 That outbreak has also extended regionally, with linked cases in New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Kansas currently reports 37 cases across eight counties.3
Michigan has declared its first measles outbreak since 2019, involving three cases in Montcalm County. Health officials say this outbreak was initially linked to a large ongoing outbreak in Ontario, Canada. In Montana, the Department of Public Health and Human Services confirms the state’s first measles cases since 1990. The five confirmed cases involve children and adults in Gallatin County who were exposed while traveling out of state. All individuals were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. The patients are isolating at home, and officials have identified two potential public exposure sites in Belgrade and Bozeman.4
So far, 96 percent of measles infections in 2025 involve unvaccinated individuals or whose vaccination status is unknown. Eleven percent of patients have been hospitalized, including 19 percent of children under five, who make up 31 percent of total cases. There have been two confirmed deaths and one under investigation, all involving unvaccinated individuals. The outbreak has also been linked to cases in Ontario, Canada, and Chihuahua, Mexico. Public health officials continue to emphasize the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage, especially in areas with low immunization rates, to help prevent further spread.1
Previous Measles Coverage: Pennsylvania Added to the List of States With Measles Outbreaks
The last coverage was from April 16, 2025, when Pennsylvania was added to the list of states experiencing measles outbreaks, with five confirmed cases reported in Erie County since late March. None of the affected individuals in this county required hospitalization. Nationally, the CDC had reported 712 confirmed measles cases across 25 jurisdictions as of April 10, with 93 percent of those cases associated with outbreaks. A total of seven outbreaks had been confirmed at that point in the year. Eleven percent of all cases had required hospitalization, including 20 percent of children under five years old, seven percent of individuals aged five to nineteen, and six percent of adults over twenty. Texas had continued to report the most cases, with 561 as of April 15. Other states with notable case counts included New Mexico with 63 cases, Kansas with 32, Oklahoma with 12, and Ohio with 10. In Texas, there had been a recent uptick in cases, with 20 new infections reported over just a few days. Officials noted that fewer than 25 individuals were considered infectious at the time, based on their rash onset dates. Two deaths had been confirmed among unvaccinated school-aged children.5
