US measles cases surpass 700 with outbreaks in six states. Here's what
to know
[April 12, 2025]
By DEVI SHASTRI
U.S. measles cases topped 700 as of Friday, capping a week in which
Indiana joined five others states with active outbreaks, Texas grew by
another 60 cases and a third measles-related death was made public.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed in a televised Cabinet
meeting Thursday that measles cases were plateauing nationally, but the
virus continues to spread mostly in people who are unvaccinated and the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention redeployed a team to
West Texas.
The U.S. has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all
of 2024, and Texas is reporting the majority of them with 541.
Texas' cases include two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children
who died from measles-related illnesses near the epicenter of the
outbreak in rural West Texas, which led Kennedy to visit the community
Sunday. The third person who died was an adult in New Mexico who was not
vaccinated.
Other states with active outbreaks — defined as three or more cases —
include New Mexico, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio and Oklahoma.
The multistate outbreak confirms health experts' fears that the virus
will take hold in other U.S. communities with low vaccination rates and
that the spread could stretch on for a year. The World Health
Organization has said cases in Mexico are linked to the Texas outbreak.
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and
spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It
is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from
the U.S. since 2000.
Here's what else you need to know about measles in the U.S.
How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico?
Texas' outbreak began in late January. State health officials said
Friday there were 36 new cases of measles since Tuesday, bringing the
total to 541 across 22 counties — most of them in West Texas. A total of
56 Texans have been hospitalized throughout the outbreak.
Of the confirmed cases, state health officials estimated Friday that
about 5% are actively infectious.
Sixty-five percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, population
22,892, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit,
undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has logged 355 cases
since late January — just over 1% of the county's residents.
Last week's death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to
Kennedy. Health officials in Texas said the child did not have
underlying health conditions and died of “what the child's doctor
described as measles pulmonary failure.” A child died of measles in
Texas in late February — Kennedy said age 6.
New Mexico announced two new cases Friday, bringing the state’s total to
58. State health officials say the cases are linked to Texas’ outbreak
based on genetic testing. Most are in Lea County, where two people have
been hospitalized, two are in Eddy County and one is in Chaves County.
New Mexico reported its first measles-related death in an adult on March
6.
How many cases are there in Kansas?
Kansas has 32 cases in eight counties in the southwest part of the
state, health officials announced Wednesday. Two of the counties, Finney
and Ford, are new on the list and are major population centers in that
part of the state. Haskell County has the most with eight cases, Stevens
County has seven, Kiowa County has six, and the rest have five or fewer.
The state's first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March
13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic
testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health
officials have not determined how the person was exposed.
How many cases are there in Oklahoma?
Cases in Oklahoma increased by two Friday to 12 total: nine confirmed
and three probable cases. The first two probable cases were “associated”
with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks, the state health
department said.
A state health department spokesperson said measles exposures were
confirmed in Tulsa and Rogers counties, but wouldn't say which counties
had cases.
How many cases are there in Ohio?
The Ohio Department of Health confirmed 20 measles cases in the state as
of Thursday: 11 in Ashtabula County near Cleveland, seven in Knox County
and one each in Allen and Holmes counties.
Ohio is not including nonresidents in its count, a state health
department spokesperson told The Associated Press. The Knox County
outbreak in east-central Ohio has infected a total 14 people, according
to a news release from the county health department, but seven of them
do not live in Ohio. In 2022, a measles outbreak in central Ohio
sickened 85.
The outbreak in Ashtabula County started with an unvaccinated adult who
had interacted with someone who had traveled internationally.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left,
arrives at Reinlander Mennonite Church after a second measles death,
Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Seminole, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice)
 How many cases are there in
Indiana?
Indiana confirmed six connected cases of measles in Allen County in
the northeast part of the state — four are unvaccinated minors and
two are adults whose vaccination status is unknown.
The cases have no known link to other outbreaks, the Allen County
Department of Health said Wednesday. The first case was confirmed
Monday.
Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?
Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an
outbreak as three or more related cases. The agency counted seven
clusters that qualified as outbreaks in 2025 as of Friday.
In the U.S., cases and outbreaks are frequently traced to someone
who caught the disease abroad. It can then spread, especially in
communities with low vaccination rates. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274
cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. So
far in 2025, the CDC's count is 712.
Do you need an MMR booster?
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and
rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children
between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years
old.
People at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago
may want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with
an outbreak, said Scott Weaver with the Global Virus Network, an
international coalition. Those may include family members living
with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to
respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions.
Adults with “presumptive evidence of immunity” generally don’t need
measles shots now, the CDC said. Criteria include written
documentation of adequate vaccination earlier in life, lab
confirmation of past infection or being born before 1957, when most
people were likely to be infected naturally.
A doctor can order a lab test called an MMR titer to check your
levels of measles antibodies, but experts don't always recommend it
and health insurance plans may not cover it.
Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about
waning immunity, the CDC says.
People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in
the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were
immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from
“killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the
agency said. That also includes people who don’t know which type
they got.
What are the symptoms of measles?
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout
the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes
and a rash.
The rash generally appears three to five days after the first
symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading
downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash
appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according
to the CDC.
Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to
dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling
and death.
How can you treat measles?
There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try
to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients
comfortable.
Why do vaccination rates matter?
In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases
like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This
is called “herd immunity.”
But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the
pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal
conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.
The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak
in Chicago that sickened more than 60.
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AP Science Writer Laura Ungar contributed to this report
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