In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that measles was eliminated in the United States. The disease became rare after a successful vaccination campaign in the 1960s.
In 2025, however, cases have been reported in eight states across the U.S. Over 100 cases have been reported in Texas alone, including the first death since 2015. Because measles is so contagious, the Texas Department of State Health Services expects more cases to occur.
Why the increase? It’s tied to vaccination rates, which have decreased over the past 20 years.
“Parents should take note, unvaccinated children can die of measles,” says Patricia Stinchfield, a pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in vaccine-preventable diseases and immediate past-president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).
