US Measles Cases Spike Fourfold Amid Falling Vaccination Rates
ANKARA —
The United States has confirmed at least 733 measles cases so far this year, four times the typical annual total, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Friday.
Record Increase in a Few Weeks
The CDC said the figure was reached within just a few weeks, marking a sharp rise from the long-term annual average of around 180 cases since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. Last year, the US recorded a total of 2,276 cases, a record at the time.
South Carolina is experiencing its largest outbreak in recent memory, while several other states continue to report active cases. Confirmed cases have emerged in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Low Vaccination Rates Drive Outbreaks
Health officials say most outbreaks occur in communities with low vaccination coverage. “Because measles is highly infectious, outbreaks highlight areas where vaccination rates are low,” said Demetre Daskalakis, former head of the CDC branch that tracks diseases including measles.
CDC data show that the percentage of kindergartners vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has dropped from 95% in 2019 to below 93% in 2025. Public health experts note that herd immunity typically requires vaccination rates of about 95% to prevent virus spread.
Daskalakis added, “This highlights that our defenses are down. Declining vaccination rates have left roughly 300,000 kindergartners unprotected.” The CDC emphasizes that the two-dose MMR vaccine is about 97% effective in preventing measles infection.
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