Measles cases climb to 800 in 25 states, CDC says
REUTERS/SEBASTIAN ROCANDIO/FILE PHOTO
A sign reading “measles testing” is seen as an outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, has raised concerns over its spread to other parts of the state, in Seminole, Texas, on Feb. 25.
Measles cases rose to a total of 800 patients so far in 2025 as of Thursday in 25 U.S. jurisdictions, including Texas and New Mexico, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today, up from 712 cases reported as of April 10.
CDC said there have been 10 reported outbreaks of the disease in 2025, which have been the cause of 94% of confirmed cases. In 2024, 64% of the total cases were caused by outbreaks. Texas reported the highest number of cases with 597 patients, a number that rose by 36 since the last update on Tuesday.
Only 11% of the people in the reported cases are currently hospitalized, according to the agency. A total of 249 cases remain among children under the age of 5, of which 47 are hospitalized.
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Many U.S. pediatricians and infectious disease experts previously told Reuters that the fight against rising measles cases nationwide is being hampered by a lack of forceful advocacy for vaccination from government health officials and statements on unproven treatments that are confusing parents.
Ninety-six percent of measles cases in 2025 have occurred in individuals who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown, according to the CDC.
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