The U.S. Should Brace for Another Bad Year of Measles Cases

Measles cases in the United States reached their highest level in more than 30 years in 2025, with 2,242 confirmed infections. A particularly bad outbreak in West Texas that began in January of last year was a significant driver of those cases. Now, a surge of measles in South Carolina is on track to outpace the West Texas outbreak, which could mean another year of high measles cases.

"I'm concerned,” said Susan Kline, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. "Based on the size of the current outbreak going on in South Carolina, I don’t think it bodes well for the current year."

Around the country, states’ vaccination levels have been steadily declining in recent years. Coupled with the Trump administration’s hostility toward vaccines, the U.S. is likely to see more measles outbreaks in the coming months and years.

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