As US Measles Cases Rise to 884, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Reports Over 35,000 Infections in 2024

As of April 25, 2025, the CDC has confirmed 884 measles cases across 30 US jurisdictions. This is a sharp increase from the 285 cases reported in 2024 and 59 cases in 2023. Of the 2025 cases, 820 (93 percent) are linked to 11 outbreaks, compared to 69 percent outbreak-associated cases in 2024.¹

As we know, children account for a large share of infections. There have been 266 cases (30 percent) in children under 5 years of age, 338 cases (38 percent) in those aged 5 to 19, and 261 cases (30 percent) in adults 20 years and older. Overall, 97 percent of cases involve unvaccinated individuals or whose vaccination status is unknown.¹

A total of 94 patients have been hospitalized, representing 11 percent of all cases. Among children under 5, the hospitalization rate is 20 percent. Three measles-related deaths have been reported in 2025.¹

CDC data show a decline in MMR vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergartners. Coverage fell from 95.2 percent in the 2019–2020 school year to 92.7 percent in 2023–2024, leaving an estimated 280,000 children vulnerable to measles.¹

Some of the new case counts are from Colorado and Los Angeles. Colorado officials reported the state's fifth measles case of 2025. The patient is an adult with confirmed MMR vaccination who recently traveled from Chihuahua, Mexico, where a measles outbreak is ongoing.² In Los Angeles County, a new case was identified in a resident who had recently traveled from Texas. The individual was not infectious during travel, and no secondary cases have been reported. This is the county’s first case since March 2025.³

Europe Reports More Than 35,000 Measles Cases in 2024

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 35,212 measles cases were reported across the EU/EEA in 2024, up from 3,973 cases in 2023. The notification rate reached 77.4 cases per 1,000,000 population, compared to 9.1 in 2023 and 27.2 in 2019 (pre-COVID).⁴

• Romania reported 30,692 cases, accounting for 87% of the EU/EEA total, with a notification rate of 1,610.7 per 1,000,000.
• Infants under age 1 had the highest notification rate: 1,175.4 per 1,000,000.
• Children aged 1–4 years: 688.7 per 1,000,000.
• Individuals over 14 years represented 26% of cases.

Of 23 measles deaths reported in 2024, 22 were in Romania and 14 occurred in children under age five.⁴

• Among cases with known vaccination status, 87% were unvaccinated.
• 90% of cases in the 1–4 age group were unvaccinated.
• Average first-dose coverage (MCV1) in the EU/EEA was 93.9% in 2024, down from 94.2% in 2023.
• Only 4 countries met the ≥95% coverage goal for the second dose.
• 8 countries showed a ≥3% decline in MCV1 and MCV2 coverage since 2020.

ECDC emphasizes the need for improved routine and catch-up immunization, enhanced surveillance, and the use of digital immunization information systems to identify undervaccinated populations.

References

1. Measles Outbreak – April 25, 2025. Texas Department of State Health Services press release. Updated April 22, 2025. Accessed April 29, 2025. https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025

2. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Fifth confirmed measles case in Colorado adult with recent international travel. April 25, 2025. Accessed April 28, 2025. https://cdphe.colorado.gov/press-release/fifth-confirmed-measles-case-in-colorado-adult-with-recent-international-travel

3. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Public Health confirms measles case in Los Angeles County. April 25, 2025. Accessed April 28, 2025. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phcommon/public/media/mediapubhpdetail.cfm?prid=5018

4. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Measles. In: ECDC. Annual Epidemiological Report for 2024. Stockholm: ECDC; 2025. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/measles-annual-epidemiological-report-2024