Wait, I thought measles was gone? Honestly, that’s what most of us grew up believing. We check a box on a school form, get a jab, and never think about it again. But if you’ve been glancing at the news lately, you’ve probably noticed something unsettling. Headlines about "record-breaking cases" and "emergency alerts" are popping up with weird regularity.
So, are there measles outbreaks every year? The short answer is yes. Every single year.
Even though the United States technically "eliminated" measles back in 2000, that doesn't mean the virus vanished into thin air. It just means it wasn't spreading constantly within our borders for more than a year. But lately, the situation has shifted from "occasional flare-up" to "genuine problem." In 2025, the U.S. saw a massive spike—over 2,242 confirmed cases across 45 states. That was the highest number in over 30 years. As we move through early 2026, the trend isn't exactly slowing down. By mid-January 2026, the CDC had already tracked 171 cases in nine states, mostly tied to a lingering outbreak in South Carolina that just won't quit.
Why the Virus Never Actually Left
Measles is basically the "hitchhiker" of the viral world. It is incredibly good at traveling.
You might have a community in Ohio or Oregon where everyone is healthy, but then one person flies to a country where measles is still endemic—parts of Africa, the Middle East, or Southeast Asia—and brings it home. Because measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to science, it doesn't need much of an opening. If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby who aren't immune will get it.
It’s airborne. It lingers in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the room. You don't even have to touch the person; you just have to breathe the same air they were breathing twenty minutes ago.
The Numbers Tell a Scary Story
Look at the global scale for a second. In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated there were 10.3 million measles cases worldwide. That was a 20% jump from the year before.
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- 2023: 10.3 million global cases.
- 2024: An estimated 95,000 deaths globally, mostly kids under five.
- 2025: 2,242 cases in the U.S. alone, a 30-year high.
- 2026 (So far): 171 U.S. cases confirmed by mid-January.
When we talk about whether are there measles outbreaks every year, we have to look at the "tinder" that allows these "matches" to start a fire. Dr. Nathan Lo from Stanford Medicine recently pointed out that travelers bringing the disease are the matches, but the "tinder" is the growing gap in vaccination coverage.
The 95% Problem
There is a magic number in public health: 95%.
To keep measles from spreading like wildfire, 95% of a community needs to be vaccinated with two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. This creates "herd immunity." It protects the babies who are too young for the shot (usually under 12 months) and people with weakened immune systems who can't get vaccinated.
But we're slipping.
In the U.S., kindergarten vaccination rates have been hovering around 92% to 93%. That sounds high, right? It’s an A-minus in school. But in epidemiology, it’s a failing grade for measles. When you drop below that 95% threshold, the virus finds the gaps. It’s like a flood finding a crack in a levee.
Why People Are Skipping the Shot
It’s complicated. It isn't just one thing. Some of it is "vaccine fatigue" after the long years of the pandemic. Some of it is genuine misinformation—old, debunked myths about autism that just won't die.
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There’s also a weird side effect of our own success. Because vaccines worked so well for so long, most parents today have never seen a child with measles. They don't remember the high fevers, the pneumonia, or the risk of encephalitis (brain swelling). To many, the vaccine seems like a "choice" rather than a necessity because the threat feels invisible.
But as we’ve seen in the 2025 South Carolina outbreak, which saw 558 cases centered around Spartanburg County by early 2026, the threat is very much visible when it hits your local Walmart or State Museum.
What Actually Happens During an Outbreak?
When a health department says there is an "outbreak," they usually mean three or more cases linked to each other. In 2025, there were 49 distinct outbreaks in the U.S.
Most of these start the same way. A traveler returns from abroad. They go to a grocery store or a church. A week later, a few kids start getting what looks like a cold.
The Progression of the Sickness
- Days 7-14: High fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. It looks like a nasty flu.
- Days 11-15: Tiny white spots (Koplik spots) might appear inside the mouth.
- Days 13-17: The "measles rash" breaks out. It starts on the face and hairline and moves down to the neck, trunk, and feet. It’s flat, red, and angry-looking.
It’s not just a "rash disease." About 1 in 5 people who get measles in the U.S. end up in the hospital. In the 2025 Texas outbreak, the hospitalization rate was 17%. Two children died in that specific surge. These aren't just statistics; they are families dealing with a disease that was supposed to be a thing of the past.
The Global "Canary in the Coal Mine"
Health experts often call measles the "canary in the coal mine." Because it is so insanely contagious, it’s usually the first disease to flare up when a health system is struggling.
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If measles is breaking out, it means the immunization net has holes. And if measles can get through, other things like rubella or even polio might not be far behind. Canada actually lost its "measles-free" status in November 2025 after a massive outbreak in New Brunswick that infected over 5,100 people. The U.S. and Mexico are currently on the verge of losing their status too.
What You Can Actually Do
If you’re worried about whether are there measles outbreaks every year affecting your family, the most important step is checking your own status.
Most people born before 1957 are considered immune because they likely had the disease as children. For everyone else, you need two doses of the MMR vaccine. If you aren't sure if you had both, a simple blood test called a "titer" can check for antibodies.
Practical Next Steps
- Check Your Records: Dig out those old yellow cards or call your doctor. One dose is about 93% effective; two doses get you to 97%.
- Travel Prepared: If you’re heading out of the country, make sure your kids are up to date. Even babies as young as 6 months can get an early dose of MMR if they are traveling internationally.
- Watch the Symptoms: If you or your child develops a high fever and a cough, and you know there’s an outbreak in your area, call the doctor before you show up. They need to isolate you so you don't infect the entire waiting room.
- Trust the Science, Not the Noise: The MMR vaccine has been used for decades on hundreds of millions of people. It is safe. The risk of the vaccine is microscopic compared to the risk of a virus that can cause permanent brain damage or "immune amnesia"—a scary phenomenon where measles actually "erases" your immune system's memory of other diseases, making you vulnerable to everything else for years.
The reality is that as long as vaccination rates stay low and global travel stays high, we will continue to see these cycles. Measles isn't just an "old" disease; it's a current one. Staying informed and making sure your community hits that 95% mark is the only way to stop the "every year" cycle for good.
Check your local health department’s website for current "public exposure" sites if you live in an area with active cases. Being proactive is always better than being caught off guard by a virus that doesn't care about borders or beliefs.