2025 Southwest United States measles outbreak
| 2025 Southern United States measles outbreak | |
|---|---|
| Disease | Measles |
| Virus strain | Measles morbillivirus |
| Location | United States (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana (declared ended by CDC), Tennessee) Canada (Alberta, Ontario) Mexico (Chihuahua) |
| First reported | January 17, 2025 |
| Index case | Unidentified |
| Confirmed cases | 866 |
Deaths | 3 |
| Vaccinations | Measles vaccine |
In January 2025, cases of measles began to appear in Texas and neighboring states in the United States. Two cases linked to international travel were identified in Houston, followed by two more in Lubbock County. Gaines County became the epicenter of the outbreak and by mid-February, the disease had spread to New Mexico and other communities in West Texas including Dallam, Dawson, Ector, Lynn, Terry, and Yoakum. In March, cases linked to the outbreak were announced in Oklahoma, the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and Kansas.
The outbreak is confirmed to have infected hundreds of individuals and is suspected to have infected many more. More than 50 individuals have been hospitalized, and three have died: two children in Lubbock (a six-year-old and an eight-year-old) and an adult in Lea County, New Mexico.
Measles is highly contagious and preventable by the MMR vaccine. Though the United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, waning vaccination rates have led to its resurgence in the country, including the ongoing outbreak. The 2025 outbreak has led to the first measles deaths in the country since 2015, and the three deaths were in unvaccinated individuals.