Measles Outbreaks Surge as a Once-defeated Virus Strikes Back

This should not be happening. We basically beat the world’s most contagious virus at the turn of the 20th century. But measles outbreaks are once again grabbing headlines across the United States, and the numbers are rising quickly. The CDC reported 160 new cases during the final week of February, bringing the two-month total for 2026 to 1,136 confirmed infections across 27 states. Some experts believe the true count may already be closer to 1,189 cases, according to trackers at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Outbreak Response.

That pace far exceeds last year’s numbers at this time. Public health officials worry we may surpass 2025’s total of 2,281 cases before spring is over. States reporting the most infections include South Carolina, Florida and Texas, with additional cases appearing in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Ohio. The late-breaking headline from the Denver Post (March 5, 2026): “Measles exposure locations in Colorado: 2 schools, 3 restaurants and a grocery store.”

Many Folks Dismiss Measles As a Mild Childhood Illness

Many visitors to this website seem to think that measles is not that big a deal. Older adults remember catching measles as children and assume it was simply a normal, if uncomfortable childhood event.

C. offers this memory:

“Back in the days of my youth, measles was a ‘rite of passage,’ ie everyone had measles, mumps and rubella. Yes, some kids were disabled to various degrees but not that many compared to all the kids who were infected. Measles was part of life.”

Tim asserts that measles outbreaks were no big deal and might have been beneficial:

“Like many children of the baby boom generation, I had measles, mumps, and chickenpox with no lasting effects. Also, there is evidence that measles and mumps protect against heart disease.
We should allow people to pursue their health without government and societal interference.”

Cathy says don’t worry:

“My siblings and I had measles in the early 1950’s. No one was alarmed.”

Ron agrees that there’s nothing to worry about:

“When I and my children were kids, getting the measles was nothing major. In fact, usually, kids would get them together. It really was not a big problem. The reason us older folks don’t need the vaccine is because we dealt with the minor inconvenience in our childhoods.”

Measles Can Be Deadly

Unfortunately, the disease can be far more serious than these readers realize. According to the CDC, one in five unvaccinated children with measles requires hospitalization, one in ten develops an ear infection, one in twenty gets pneumonia, and one in a thousand develops brain inflammation (encephalitis). Because measles is considered the most contagious virus known, outbreaks can accelerate rapidly unless vaccination rates remain high.

Even television physician and current head of Medicare and Medicaid, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has urged Americans recently:

“Take the vaccine, please.”

Marji offers this perspective:

“Among complications from German measles (rubella) is the often devastating effects on unborn children when their pregnant mother catches the infection. They can be born deaf and with birth defects. More about this should be said.”

One more thing about Measles:

When people catch measles it turns out that the virus can cause something called “immune memory loss.” This “immune amnesia” may last for months or even years. It makes kids more susceptible to other infections for quite a long time. If a child catches a bad case of the flu or some other respiratory infection months after a measles attack, it could be worse than usual.

Measles Is Highly Contagious

A Single Traveler Sparks a Multistate Cluster

An investigation published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases (Feb. 27, 2026) illustrates just how easily measles outbreaks can spread in the modern travel era. One infected traveler arrived at the Denver International Airport in May, 2025. That person triggered at least 17 measles cases across multiple states. Five infections were linked to an international arrival flight, three to a later domestic flight, and several others to people who simply crossed paths with the traveler in airport concourses.

Because measles virus particles can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves, investigators had to track roughly 1,400 potential contacts. Even more surprising, several infected individuals had documentation of prior measles vaccination, reminding health officials how difficult it can be to contain exposures in crowded travel hubs.

Colorado health departments ultimately mobilized contact tracing teams, alerted physicians and organized vaccination clinics for travelers, airport workers and community members who might have been exposed. The Denver cluster is a powerful reminder that in an era of global travel, a single infectious passenger can ignite measles outbreaks that spread far beyond one airport terminal.

A Virus That Never Truly Vanished

The CDC declared measles “eliminated” in the United States in 2000, meaning continuous transmission had stopped. But elimination did not mean eradication.

Small numbers of cases have continued to appear whenever infected travelers brought the virus into the country. In 2004 the U.S. reported just 37 cases. In 2007 there were 43 cases. 

During the COVID pandemic, reported infections dropped dramatically to just 13 cases in 2020 as masks, reduced travel and school closures slowed transmission. That lull was temporary, though. The pandemic also interrupted regular vaccination schedules. By 2024 there were 285 cases, and 2025 saw 2,281 confirmed infections nationwide. That was the highest annual total in more than three decades.

The current surge shows just how fragile progress against measles can be.

Where Recent Measles Outbreaks Began

Many visitors to this website have blamed the measles upsurge on illegal immigrants. And yet the current administration has shut down illegal immigration for almost a full year. The large wave of infections in 2025 began in Texas and New Mexico. Investigators traced many early cases to a tight-knit Mennonite community in West Texas, where vaccination rates were low.

Similar patterns have been observed in some Amish, Mennonite and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, as well as certain other religious or cultural groups where vaccination is discouraged. Vaccine hesitancy has also grown in parts of the broader population where distrust of public health institutions has increased.

Once measles finds a community with lower vaccination rates, the virus spreads easily. By late 2025, more than 40 states had reported measles cases, with Texas alone accounting for hundreds of infections.

A Short History of Measles

Measles is far from a new disease. A Persian physician known as Rhazes described it in the 10th century and called it “more to be dreaded than smallpox.”

For centuries, measles outbreaks swept through communities around the world. Before a vaccine was introduced in 1963, millions of Americans caught measles each year and hundreds died annually.

Vaccination campaigns dramatically reduced infections over the following decades, leading to the United States declaring measles eliminated in 2000. Unfortunately, that success is now under pressure.

Why Measles Is Returning

Epidemiologists point to two major drivers behind the resurgence of measles outbreaks:

1. Missed childhood vaccinations during the COVID pandemic
2. Growing vaccine hesitancy in multiple communities

The MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) is about 97 percent effective after two doses. Because there is no cure for measles, prevention through vaccination remains the most effective protection.

Why I Believe Vaccines Matter

Permit a brief personal note.

As a very young child, I was hospitalized with polio at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I was placed in traction in an isolation ward. My parents could not visit. Children around me were dying. It was terrifying, and the experience left emotional scars that have lasted a lifetime.

A few years later I developed pertussis (whooping cough) and was extremely ill for a long time. Even today, lung infections can trigger severe coughing spells that sound scary.

If you never experienced polio or whooping cough, consider yourself fortunate. Vaccines spared millions of children from the suffering that earlier generations endured.

Why Measles Is So Contagious

The measles virus spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or simply breathes. The virus can remain suspended in the air for up to two hours, meaning people can become infected even after the sick person has left the room.

Symptoms usually appear 10 to 14 days after exposure and initially resemble a bad cold or the flu: fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat and red eyes. A few days later, tiny white Koplik spots appear inside the mouth, followed by the characteristic red rash that spreads from the face down the body.

Complications Can Be Serious

Measles is not always a mild childhood illness.

• 1 in 20 children develops pneumonia
  • 1 in 1,000 develops encephalitis (brain inflammation)
  • 1–2 in 1,000 may die

Survivors can experience lasting hearing loss, vision problems or cognitive difficulties.

Can You Catch Measles if You Were Vaccinated as a Child?

The MMR vaccine is about 97% effective, but over the years protection can wane. That is especially true if some people did not initially experience a strong immune reaction. People who were born in the mid 1960s may have received an older version of the measles vaccine. It was not as long-lasting as the current version. They may need a booster.

How would you know if you are protected against measles? A blood test called an MMR titer can reveal your immunity to measles, mumps or rubella (German measles). Your doctor can order it or you could order it yourself from Labcorp, OnDemand, QuestHealth, Request a Test or CVS MinuteClinic. The cost at the time of this writing could range from $40 to $190.

What Is the Future of Measles?

Twenty-five years ago, the United States was close to being measles-free. Today the virus has found new opportunities wherever vaccination rates decline.

Global travel also plays a role. Measles outbreaks continue to occur in many parts of the world—including Europe, Israel, India, Madagascar, France, Greece and Ukraine. Travelers can unknowingly bring the virus into the United States, where it spreads rapidly if communities are under-vaccinated.

Tourism will always allow new cases to enter the country, even if borders are sealed against illegal immigrants. Unless America decides to stop all tourists from entering the US and prohibits Americans from visiting other countries, travelers will bring diseases with them. Once here, they will spread as long as a critical mass of people remains unvaccinated.

Measles Outbreaks Will Not Disappear on Their Own

Unless confidence in the MMR vaccine improves and vaccination coverage remains strong, measles outbreaks will continue to flare and spread. You can learn more about vaccine effectiveness at this link. Vaccines are not perfect, and like any medical intervention they can produce side effects in some people. But the protection they provide has prevented enormous suffering from diseases that once terrified families.

As a polio and pertussis survivor, I can assure you that we do not want to create widespread vaccine hesitancy. These diseases caused untold suffering and death.

Please consider sharing this article with friends and family. Awareness and prevention are our best defenses against dangerous measles outbreaks.