Measles is still making headlines in 2025, prompting questions about the life-threatening disease and how to prevent it. Here’s what to know as the U.S. grapples with its biggest measles outbreak in years.
Measles outbreak
The largest measles outbreak so far this year has been in West Texas, where health officials have confirmed more than 500 cases since late January. State and local health officials say the Texas outbreak is primarily affecting children and teenagers, nearly all of whom were unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
In late February, a child died of measles after being hospitalized in that outbreak. State and local health officials said the patient who died was an unvaccinated school-aged child. A second child, an 8-year-old girl who was also unvaccinated, died from measles in early April.
Measles cases have also been reported in more than 20 other states.
An unvaccinated adult in New Mexico tested positive for measles after their death, health officials announced in March, but said the official cause of death is still under investigation.
How deadly is measles?
Without vaccination, measles can be dangerous or even deadly. While most people’s symptoms improve, 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who catch measles will be hospitalized, 1 out of every 1,000 will develop brain swelling that can lead to brain damage, and up to 3 of every 1,000 will die.
The measles virus is airborne and extremely contagious. Before the first measles vaccine became available in the 1960s, almost everyone would catch it at some point during childhood, and between 400 and 500 Americans — mostly children — died every year from measles.
Measles symptoms
Symptoms typically begin about seven to 14 days after a person is exposed to the measles virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the initial symptoms may appear similar to those of many other common viral illnesses, including:
- Fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red eyes
Another characteristic sign is a rash that begins to develop a few days later. A patient’s fever may spike to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, the CDC says.
In some cases, serious complications can develop, including pneumonia or encephalitis, a swelling of the brain. Encephalitis may lead to convulsions and can cause deafness or leave a child with a lifelong intellectual disability, health officials warn.
As many as 1 out of every 20 children with measles will develop pneumonia, which the CDC says is the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
“The predominant issues that we talk about, and that have led patients to be admitted to the hospital, are those respiratory issues, and so that is a frequent cause of death,” Dr. Lara Johnson, the chief medical officer at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, said at a news conference on Feb. 26. At the time, she said, the hospital had seen about 20 patients admitted with confirmed measles cases, including several who needed intensive care.
“There are also neurological issues that can happen acutely — encephalitis, swelling of the brain, blindness, other issues along that line that can also be a part of acute measles,” Johnson said.
She added, “There are lots of childhood rashes and fevers, and as parents, we all know that our kids get these here and there. This is not that. This is a much more serious illness that has much greater risk of serious complications.”
Measles rash
Several days after the first symptoms begin, characteristic tiny white spots develop inside the mouth, and a facial rash spreads to the rest of the body.
On “CBS Mornings,” Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, described the rash as a “flat, blotchy red rash.”
Measles immune amnesia
Measles can also impact someone’s immunity long after the infection is gone in a process called “immune amnesia,” which can last months to a couple of years.
The virus can damage the immune system, Gounder recently explained, raising the risk of other infections even after the person has recovered.
“Measles infects immune cells, and when it does so, it damages immune cells and it partially wipes out your immune system’s memory to certain infections, so that leaves you more susceptible to getting some of those infections,” she said. “The best thing is not to get measles in the first place, and the best way to do that is to get vaccinated.”
Why is there a measles outbreak?
With safe, effective vaccines available, experts are pointing to lower vaccination rates as a reason why we’re seeing these increasing cases. Health officials confirmed that nearly all of the patients in the Texas outbreak were not vaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
“It is troubling, because this was completely preventable,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins, recently told CBS News. “What we’re seeing is, one of the places in Texas — it has the lowest vaccination rates, the highest school exemption rates from measles vaccination — having a measles outbreak, including hospitalizations of individuals who’ve been infected with measles.”
Measles vaccine
While measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases, doctors and public health officials say the vaccine is safe and highly effective. It is normally given in two doses as part of the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which has been used for decades.
But nationwide, at least 10 states have seen childhood vaccination rates decline, jeopardizing communities’ herd immunity from widespread outbreaks.
Like Texas, some Florida schools — such as an elementary school in Broward County last year — have seen measles outbreaks. The vaccination rate for Florida kindergartners has fallen to 88.1%, according to the CDC, the lowest in decades.
As concerns grew about the latest outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history as a vaccine skeptic, voiced support for the measles vaccine.
“We encourage people to get the measles vaccine,” Kennedy said in an interview with CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook on April 8.
Asked by LaPook what the federal government’s official position on the vaccine is, Kennedy reiterated, “The federal government’s position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,” but added, “The government should not be mandating those.”
RFK Jr., measles and Vitamin A
Kennedy has previously shared some misleading information about the potential role of vitamins in measles treatment and prevention.
In some studies, Vitamin A has been shown to reduce the severity of measles and the risk of death from the virus — but these studies were among highly malnourished populations in low-income countries. Research shows Vitamin A supplements are not a substitute for measles vaccination, even among severely malnourished groups.
“Vitamin A reduces the risk of some complications among severely malnourished kids who have Vitamin A deficiency. It does not prevent measles or the damage the infection does to the immune system,” Gounder said. “Vitamin A is not a substitute for measles vaccination.”
In the U.S., Vitamin A deficiency is rare, affecting less than 1% of the population. Too much Vitamin A can also lead to the risk of liver toxicity.
When do you get the measles vaccine?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children get vaccinated with two doses of the MMR vaccine, with their first dose between the ages of 12 to 15 months.
“That’s after the antibodies you get from your mom, through the placenta and through breast milk, have faded away, so that the vaccine will actually work — so there’s a logic to when we vaccinate,” Gounder explained.
Then the second dose is recommended at about 4 to 6 years of age.
One dose is 93% effective against measles and the recommended two doses is 97% effective, research shows. The vaccine also protects against mumps and rubella, also known as German measles, which are caused by different viruses.
Studies have also shown that the MMR vaccine, which was first introduced in 1971, may be given safely and effectively in combination with other vaccines.
But according to recent KFF polling, about 17% of parents say they have skipped or delayed a vaccine dose for their children.
“This is up from about 10% just two years ago. So we’re really seeing a lot of exemptions [and] concerns about vaccination that are not warranted,” Gounder said.
How long does the measles vaccine last?
For most people, the MMR vaccine will protect you for life, Gounder said.
“If somebody is fully vaccinated against measles and has a normal immune system, they don’t need to worry about measles,” said Adalja. “You’re not going to be at risk for contracting measles because the vaccine is very, very effective.”
Who should get a measles booster?
While most people have protection that lasts for life after getting vaccinated in early childhood, people born after 1957 but vaccinated before 1968 should consider a booster shot, Gounder said.
“That group is unlikely to have robust immunity from infection, because at that point in time, they were using less effective vaccines,” she said.
There are also other people who could potentially benefit from getting a booster, she added, including those working in health care, overseas or in places where there is an active measles outbreak.
If you’re unsure if or when you were vaccinated against the measles, start by tracking down your vaccination records if possible, Gounder advised. But, if you can’t find those records, there is “no harm in getting an extra dose,” she said, adding that no blood test confirmation is needed.
“That’s actually what we would advise to do, as opposed to getting a blood test to see if there are antibodies — just get a booster if you’re in doubt,” she said.
contributed to this report.
