Measles cases continue to rise across the U.S., with most cases occurring in Texas. Vaccination is highly effective and the best way to protect yourself.
Update on numbers
Confirmed cases are correct as of Friday April 4, 2025 (Note that the CDC updates their numbers on Friday afternoons)
Reported cases for Texas are correct as of Tuesday April 8, 2025 (Note that the Texas Department of Health Services updates their numbers on Tuesdays and Fridays)
➡️ There has been an increase in the number of confirmed measles cases in the past few weeks.
⬆️ There are now 607 confirmed cases – 481 are in Texas (as of Tuesday April 8, there are 505 reported cases in Texas)
🏥 14% of confirmed measles patients have been hospitalized (74 out of 607)
😷 Two children in Texas have died of measles and one person in New Mexico tested positive for measles after they died
🤒 72% of cases are in people under 19 years old
💉 97% of cases are in unvaccinated or undervaccinated people
➡️ 22 states have now reported measles cases including Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York State [most in New York City],, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington
➡️ 567 of the current confirmed cases are associated with the six main outbreaks (TX, NM, OH, OK, KS, NJ) – that’s a whopping 93%.
💡Did you know that the CDC speaks of an outbreak when there are three or more related cases?
What do we know about the children who died of measles?
The two children who have died were unvaccinated and had no previous health complications or underlying medical conditions.
Some people are blaming these deaths on medical errors instead of measles. This is untrue. Both children died from measles complications [archived link]. It is really hard to hear that two healthy children died of measles, so this can drive a desire to blame other things that might be easier to avoid and control. However, blaming medical error instead of measles is dangerous and could lead parents to avoid medical care for their children with measles. This would lead to more deaths, not less.
Some people also argue that someone may have died with measles but not from measles. However, if measles causes complications that lead to death, the person would not have died if they didn’t get measles first.
Common complications [archived link] of a measles infection include pneumonia (around 1 in 20 children) and encephalitis (1 in 1000 children) – both can lead to death. Bacterial pneumonia often develops as a secondary complication and requires treatment with antibiotics. The choice of which antibiotic to use is made on a case-by-case basis depending on the patient and the type of bacteria causing the pneumonia.
‼️ Remember, antibiotics don’t treat viral infections.
‼️ Vaccines are highly effective and are the best way to protect yourself and your family.
Measles exposure & symptoms
Measles is airborne and highly contagious. People can spread the virus from about four days before the rash appears to four days after. Nine out of ten unvaccinated individuals will become infected after exposure. Symptoms typically develop 10 to 14 days after exposure and may include:
- A rash that usually begins on the head and spreads downward
- White spots with bluish centers inside the cheeks (Koplik’s spots)
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
How can I protect myself and my family?
Because measles is so contagious, the best protection is to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Infants typically are not able to get vaccinated until 12 months or age, but can get an extra early dose at 6 months. You can read more about vaccine eligibility here.
The measles virus can remain airborne for up to two hours after an infected person has left a room. This makes it very hard to remove risk completely. However, masking with a well-fitted N95/KN95 in indoor public spaces can reduce some of this risk.
A word on Vitamin A
Some children in Texas have been hospitalized with liver damage from vitamin A toxicity. This is due to parents giving them high amounts of vitamin A in the hopes of preventing or treating measles.
❌ Vitamin A does not prevent measles virus infection and is not a substitute for vaccination.
The WHO and some other organizations do recommend that clinicians administer two doses of vitamin A for children already sick with measles – but mainly in places where vitamin A deficiency is common. In the U.S. this is less than 1% of the population [archived link] and the data so far does not suggest a clear benefit if the child is not already vitamin A deficient.
📒 Existing guidelines for clinicians [archived link] on providing vitamin A to children with measles take many factors into consideration, including the severity of infection, vitamin A status and weight of the child. This is a carefully assessed and individually tailored clinical decision. If vitamin A is given, it should only be under medical supervision to minimize the risk of toxicity.
‼️ Parents should not attempt to treat their child with vitamin A or use it to prevent measles.
We will continue to update you as the situation changes.
Stay Safe!
Sources:
CDC – Measles Cases and Outbreaks [archived link]
Texas DSHS – Measles Outbreak – April 8, 2025 [archived link]
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases – Call to Action Vitamin A for the Management of Measles in the United States [archived link]
