U.S. Measles Cases Reach a Record High Since the Disease Was Declared Eliminated 25 Years Ago

With nearly six months left in the year, the total number of cases so far in 2025 has surpassed every year since 1992

Amber X. Chen - AAAS Mass Media Fellow

July 8, 2025 12:21 p.m.

Measles cases in the United States have reached a record high since the disease was declared eliminated from the country 25 years ago.

Officials had declared measles eliminated in 2000, when there had not been continuous transmission for more than a year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls it “a historic public health achievement.”

Now, however, experts warn that the U.S. could soon lose its elimination status, if the nation reaches 12 months of continuous spread of related measles cases.

As of July 8, at least 1,285 confirmed cases of measles have been reported throughout the country in 38 states and Washington, D.C., this year, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Outbreak Response Innovation. Data from the CDC does not reflect the record yet, since its numbers are updated on Wednesdays, notes the Washington Post’s Lena H. Sun.

That number has already surpassed the 1,274 cases that occurred in 2019 due to an outbreak in New York—and 2025 still has six months to go. Already, this year has seen the highest number of cases in the country in any year since 1992. In addition, experts emphasize that the current number of cases is likely underreported.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-measles-cases-reach-a-record-high-since-the-disease-was-declared-eliminated-25-years-ago-180986938/