Measles cases in the US have reached a 25-year high after the disease was declared eradicated, officials are deeply concerned.
25 years after the end of the disease in the United States, the rate of measles in children and adults has increased alarmingly, and the highest number of cases and deaths have been reported in six months.
According to American media, the area most affected by measles is Texas, where more than 750 cases have been reported since January. 400 cases were reported in Gaines County, Texas, while the vaccination rate here is very low.
In addition, dozens of cases have also been reported in New Mexico and Oklahoma, and officials fear that the disease has reached here from West Texas.
According to a report by the American Broadcasting Corporation, the rate of measles vaccination among children by parents has decreased since the government announced the end of the measles epidemic.
The low vaccination rate in West Texas and the areas where measles cases were reported are worrying because parents here have not vaccinated their children against measles and have shown negligence.
Health officials say the country has seen its highest number of measles cases this year since the disease was declared eradicated 25 years ago.
According to data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Outbreak Response Innovation, at least 1,277 confirmed cases of measles have been reported in the United States in the first six months of 2025, compared to 1,274 in 2019.
Experts say the number of cases this year is likely to be higher because many cases have not been reported.
Worryingly, three people have died from measles in the first six months of this year, including two unvaccinated children in Texas and a vaccinated 18-year-old man in New Mexico.
It should be noted that measles was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, which means that there has been no continuous transmission for more than a year.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), achieving this status was “a historic public health achievement,” made possible in large part by the development of vaccines, but the current situation is now worrying.
