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The Texas measles outbreak has ballooned to 624 cases this week, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The virus has now spread to 29 states nationwide — a dramatic increase from just weeks ago.
The national tally shows a worrying trend. While 2024 saw 285 measles cases reported by the CDC, 2025 has already recorded 800 confirmed infections in less than four months. Just one month ago, that number stood at roughly 300 cases across 15 states.
These figures don’t tell the whole story.
The current count excludes numerous “probable” cases awaiting confirmation, as well as suspected infections in people who haven’t been tested. It also doesn’t account for the 925 measles cases in Ontario, Canada (from mid-October through April 16) or the 514 cases in Mexico’s Chihuahua state — directly linked to the West Texas outbreak.
Gaines County, Texas remains the epicenter with 386 confirmed cases. The area’s vaccination rates paint a troubling picture — nearly 1 in 5 kindergartners there didn’t receive the MMR vaccine during the 2023-24 school year. In March, a North Texas pastor actually bragged on Instagram that his church school ranked last in Texas for measles vaccination rates.
New States Reporting Cases
The past week saw first-time measles cases in Montana, Louisiana, Missouri, Virginia, and Illinois. Indiana confirmed two additional infections, Colorado reported its fourth case, and Michigan identified its ninth case of the year.
Health officials also warned that an unvaccinated infant with measles may have exposed others while traveling through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The Illinois Department of Health is working with local officials to identify all potential exposure locations. They’ve recently launched an online dashboard that lets residents check measles vaccination rates in their communities.
“The key to preventing measles is the highly effective measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of measles vaccine are 97% effective in preventing measles,” said IDPH director Dr. Sameer Vohra in a statement.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that cuts made by the Trump Administration threaten the federal program providing free vaccines for children. At the same time, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been promoting unproven treatments for the highly contagious disease.
