A growing measles outbreak in the United States has raised alarms, as the country reports its first measles-related death since 2015. The victim, an unvaccinated child, died during an outbreak in rural West Texas, where there have been 124 reported cases. Nearby New Mexico has recorded nine cases.
Measles is typically brought into the U.S. by travelers from abroad, but experts attribute the rising cases to declining vaccination rates, a trend worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the U.S., most states now fall below the 95% vaccination threshold needed to protect communities, and last year’s measles cases nearly doubled the total of 2023, which has experts concerned. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns, “Measles anywhere is a threat everywhere.”
Globally, the situation is equally dire. In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10.3 million people contracted measles and 107,500 died. Most of the deaths occurred among unvaccinated individuals or children under five years old.
Measles outbreaks were most common in regions with low incomes and poor health services, particularly in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Countries like India, Indonesia, Russia, Yemen, and Iraq saw major outbreaks in 2023. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had the highest number of infections, with 311,500 cases.
Europe has also experienced a significant uptick in measles cases. In the first three months of 2024 alone, 45 out of 53 countries in the WHO European region reported nearly 57,000 cases and four deaths. In the U.K., 2,911 cases were confirmed in 2024, the highest number since 2012.
The WHO’s Europe director, Hans Kluge, emphasized, “Even one case of measles should be an urgent call to action.” Global childhood vaccination rates have fallen, with 83% of children vaccinated in 2023, down from 86% in 2019. This decline, largely due to pandemic-related disruptions, undermines years of progress in immunization efforts.
The WHO has credited vaccination programs with preventing more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023. Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, major outbreaks caused about 2.6 million deaths annually. While the Americas were declared free of endemic measles in 2016, that status was lost by 2018 due to outbreaks in Brazil and Venezuela.
Experts stress that measles is so highly contagious that 95% immunity is required to prevent epidemics. Without sufficient vaccination, the virus can infect 9 out of 10 people exposed to it.
