Measles cases surpass 900 in US with infections in 24 states: CDC
At least 177 new measles cases have been reported in the last week in the U.S., according to newly updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A total of 910 infections have been confirmed in 24 states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Only six measles cases this year were from international visitors, CDC data shows.
About 94% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, the CDC said.
Meanwhile, 2% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 3% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.
CDC data shows that the majority of cases occur among patients under 19. About 3% of all measles patients in the U.S. have been hospitalized.
Last year, the U.S. recorded 2,280 measles cases, which is the highest number of national cases seen in 33 years, according to the CDC.
A measles outbreak in South Carolina, which began last year, has contributed to the rising number of national cases.
As of Tuesday, 933 cases have been confirmed with most cases centered around Spartanburg County, which borders North Carolina. Health officials say the majority of cases are close contacts of known patients.
Additionally, at Ave Maria University in southern Florida, a measles outbreak has led to dozens of cases, according to health and campus officials.
Last month marked one year since a measles outbreak began in West Texas, with infections soon spreading to neighboring counties and other states.
Public health experts previously told ABC News that if cases in other states are found to be linked to the cases in Texas, it would mean the virus has been spreading for a year, which could lead to a loss of elimination status.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.
However, federal data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2024-2025 school year, 92.5% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 92.7% seen in the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019-2020 school year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
