US Measles Outbreak: Tracking Cases Across States

The measles outbreak sweeping across the United States has sparked serious concerns about public health and the importance of vaccinations, especially for children and other high-risk groups.

Texas remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with over 220 cases reported as of March 11. The majority of these cases have been concentrated in Gaines County, and the situation has turned dire with 29 hospitalizations and one reported death. The deceased adult, unfortunately, was unvaccinated and did not seek medical attention.

Other states have also reported cases, with varying degrees of severity:

• California: Five cases confirmed as of March 11.
• Georgia: Three cases since January, including two family members contracting the virus in February.
• Kentucky: One case reported on Feb. 26 in an adult who had traveled internationally.
• Maryland: A single case confirmed on March 9 involving international travel.
• New Jersey: Three cases reported in 2025, though no community transmission is currently ongoing.
• New York: Three cases, with two in New York City and one in the state outside the city.
• Oklahoma: Two cases linked to exposures in Texas and New Mexico.
• Pennsylvania: One case in an unvaccinated child from Montgomery County.
• Rhode Island: One case reported in January in a young child with international travel history.
• Vermont: A school-aged child was confirmed as the state’s first case of 2025 on March 11.
• Washington: An infant in King County was affected in late February.

The measles virus is notoriously contagious. Dr. Marc Siegel, a senior medical analyst, warned that an unvaccinated person has a 90% chance of contracting the disease if exposed in a room where an infected individual was present within two hours. He also pointed to declining childhood vaccine compliance rates—which have dropped below 85%—as a contributing factor to the outbreak.

Experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strongly advocate for the two-dose measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as the best defense against this disease. The majority of cases in this outbreak have occurred in unvaccinated individuals, highlighting the urgent need to boost vaccination rates.