US measles case count climbs slightly to 1,046 cases, while Indiana's
outbreak ends
[May 24, 2025]
By DEVI SHASTRI
The U.S. saw a small increase in measles cases this week, an indicator
that outbreaks are slowing down, though exposures at a busy airport in
Colorado and a Shakira concert in New Jersey are keeping public health
experts on their toes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that there
are 1,046 confirmed measles cases, up 22 from last week. Texas, where
the nation's biggest outbreak raged during the late winter and spring,
confirmed only 10 more cases this past week for a total of 728.
There are three other major outbreaks in North America. One in Ontario,
Canada, has resulted in 1,795 cases from mid-October through May 20, an
increase of 173 cases in a week. Another in Alberta, Canada, has
sickened 538 as of Thursday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had
1,578 measles cases and three deaths as of Friday, according to data
from the state health ministry.
Since the outbreak in the southwest U.S. began, two elementary
school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New
Mexico have died of measles. All were unvaccinated.
But that outbreak, which affects Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma,
appeared to be “leveling off" last week, U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention incident manager Dr. Manisha Patel said on May
15. But she noted that it's still “travel season” and there is "a lot of
global measles activity right now.”
Other states with active outbreaks — which the CDC defines as three or
more related cases — include Kansas, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Indiana's outbreak was declared over
this week.
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?
There are a total of 728 cases across 34 counties, most of them in West
Texas, state health officials said Friday.
One more person was hospitalized, for 94 total throughout the outbreak.
State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases — fewer than 10 —
are actively infectious. Fifty-six 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 had 408
cases since late January — just over 1.7% of the county’s residents.
The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child
did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child’s
doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated child
with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February;
Kennedy said the child was 6.
How many measles cases are there in New Mexico?
New Mexico added five new measles cases since May 15 for a total of 78.
Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of
the state’s cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque
has six cases, Eddy County has three, Doña Ana County has two and
Chaves and Curry counties have one each.
An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The
person did not seek medical care.
How many cases are there in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma held steady Friday with a total of 14 confirmed and three
probable cases.
The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases.
How many cases are there in Kansas?
Kansas has a total of 58 cases across 10 counties in the southwestern
part of the state, with two hospitalizations. All but two of the cases
are connected, and most of the cases are in Gray County.
How many cases are there in Indiana?
All of Indiana's cases — eight — were in Allen County in the northeast
part of the state. The county health department said the cases had no
known link to other outbreaks, and there've been no new ones since April
21, leading officials declare the outbreak over.
How many cases are there in Michigan?
Michigan has eight confirmed cases of measles, with an outbreak of four
connected cases in Montcalm County in the western part of the state that
health officials say is tied to the Ontario outbreak.
How many cases are there in Montana?
Montana has 10 measles cases as of Thursday. The state's only outbreak
started in mid-April in southwestern Gallatin County — Montana’s first
measles cases in 35 years.
Flathead and Hill counties also have one case each.
Health officials said there is no known local spread of measles, but did
note the outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian
provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
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 How many cases are there in North
Dakota?
North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, is up to 19
cases as of Friday. One person has been hospitalized.
There are six cases in Cass County on the eastern side of the state.
The rest are in Williams County in western North Dakota on the
Montana border and are not linked to Cass County.
The state health department said four people diagnosed with measles
attended classes while infectious at a Williston elementary school,
middle school and high school.
How many cases are there in Ohio?
Ohio remained steady Thursday at 34 measles cases and one
hospitalization, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That
count includes only Ohio residents.
The state has two outbreaks: Ashtabula County near Cleveland has 16
cases, and Knox County in east-central Ohio has 20 — 14 among Ohio
residents and the rest among visitors.
Allen, Cuyahoga, Holmes and Defiance counties have one case each.
How many cases are there in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has 15 cases overall in 2025 as of May 16, including
international travel-related cases in Montgomery County and one in
Philadelphia.
The outbreak of eight measles cases in Erie County in far northwest
Pennsylvania has remained steady since it began in mid-April.
How many cases are there in Tennessee?
Tennessee had six measles cases as of early May. Health department
spokesman Bill Christian said all cases are the middle part of the
state, and that “at least three of these cases are linked to each
other” but declined to specify further. The state also did not say
whether the cases were linked to other outbreaks or when Tennessee’s
outbreak started.
Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?
Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New
York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who
caught the disease abroad. The CDC says more than twice as many
measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last
year, and most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning
home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status
of having eliminated measles.
What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and
rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between
12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
Getting another MMR shot as an adult 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 vaccine made from “killed” virus should be
revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.
People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and
those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because so
many children got measles back then that they have “presumptive
immunity."
Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high
vaccination rates — above 95% — due to “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.
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.
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