Home / Health / US Measles Outbreaks Escalate: Utah, Texas, Florida Hit Hard
US Measles Outbreaks Escalate: Utah, Texas, Florida Hit Hard
31 Mar
Summary
- Over 1,500 measles cases confirmed across 30 US states this year.
- Vaccination rates are lower, with most cases in unvaccinated adults and children.
- A meeting to assess US measles elimination status has been delayed to November.
The United States is confronting a significant resurgence of measles, with domestic cases exceeding 1,566 across 30 states as of March 31, 2026. Nine additional cases were reported among international visitors. These figures place 2025 and 2026 among the most severe years for measles since its elimination in 2000. Last year alone saw 2,285 confirmed cases and three deaths, primarily among unvaccinated individuals.
States like Utah, Texas, and Florida are experiencing notable surges. Utah has reported 486 cases, with recent exposures at various public venues. Texas has 170 cases, including spread from federal detention centers, and Florida has over 140 cases, with an outbreak linked to Ave Maria University. The majority of these cases involve unvaccinated adults and children, underscoring the impact of lower vaccination rates.
The nation faces uncertainty regarding its measles elimination status. A crucial meeting to assess the continuous spread of the highly infectious disease, which was initially scheduled for an earlier date, has been postponed to November. This delay aims to streamline the evaluation process for the outbreak that began on January 20, 2025. No measles deaths have occurred since January 2026, but the severity of past incidents, such as a young child's encephalitis in South Carolina, highlights ongoing risks.
