Measles, the virus the U.S. declared vanquished in 2000, is back with a vengeance. In 2025 it has infected nearly 2,000 Americans, with runaway outbreaks now in South Carolina’s Upstate and the Arizona–Utah border towns, forcing hundreds of mostly unvaccinated students and families into quarantine.
What makes this gripping isn’t just the case count, but how fragile the victory over measles suddenly looks. A handful of tight‑knit, under‑vaccinated communities, muddled vaccine messaging from Washington, and pandemic‑era slippage in childhood shots are testing whether the U.S. can still claim measles as “eliminated” – or whether it becomes a regular, deadly visitor again.
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People Involved
Linda Bell
State Epidemiologist, South Carolina Department of Public Health (Leading response to the Spartanburg-centered measles outbreak)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary (Overseeing federal measles response while under fire for past anti-vaccine activism)
Melissa Palmer
Public Health Director, Mohave County Department of Public Health, Arizona (Coordinating response to the Arizona side of the Colorado City–Hildale outbreak)
Organizations Involved
CE
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Federal Agency
Status: Tracking cases, assessing elimination status, and supporting state outbreak responses
The CDC is the national scorekeeper and first responder for America’s measles comeback.
SO
South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH)
State Health Agency
Status: Managing the Spartanburg-centered measles outbreak and statewide vaccination push
DPH is racing to contain an accelerating measles cluster that has leapt from one church into schools and households.
MO
Mohave County Department of Public Health
County Health Department
Status: Front-line responder to Arizona’s largest measles cluster in decades
Mohave County’s health team is trying to ring‑fence measles in a deeply under‑vaccinated border town.
WO
World Health Organization (WHO)
International Organization
Status: Monitors regional elimination status and global measles resurgence
WHO keeps the scorecard on which regions still count measles as eliminated – and which have slipped.
Timeline
AP: Dual Outbreaks in South Carolina and Arizona–Utah Illustrate National Crisis
Analysis
The Associated Press highlights Spartanburg County and the Colorado City–Hildale cluster as emblematic of 2025’s measles resurgence and the risk of the U.S. losing its elimination status.
Spartanburg County Outbreak Hits 111 Cases; Schools Reel
Outbreak
South Carolina officials report 111 confirmed cases, mostly tied to Way of Truth Church in Inman, with students from nine schools and more than 250 people now quarantined.
CDC Counts 1,912 U.S. Measles Cases, 47 Outbreaks
Data
The national case tally nears 2,000, with 47 distinct outbreaks and infections reported in 43 states, making 2025 the worst measles year since the early 1990s.
Americas Region and Canada Lose Measles Elimination Status
Milestone
WHO and regional bodies confirm that continued outbreaks have cost Canada and the broader Americas measles elimination status, underscoring how fragile the designation is.
Mohave County Reaches 80 Cases, Hospitalizations Climb
Outbreak
Arizona and Utah officials report at least 80 cases in Mohave County and 43 in neighboring Utah, with eight hospitalizations and some of the lowest vaccination rates in either state.
South Carolina Declares Upstate Measles Outbreak
Outbreak
State health officials label three or more linked cases an outbreak after infections emerge around Spartanburg, some with no obvious source, indicating community circulation.
Colorado City–Hildale Cluster Takes Off
Outbreak
Arizona public radio reports 24 cases in Colorado City and eight in southwest Utah, mostly among children in FLDS communities where one school’s MMR rate was just 7%.
First Measles Case Confirmed on Arizona–Utah Border
Outbreak
Mohave County reports an unvaccinated resident with no travel history, with exposures across Arizona and Utah, signaling homegrown spread in a severely under‑vaccinated community.
CDC Confirms Highest Measles Tally Since Elimination
Data
New CDC data show 1,288 cases, 92% in unvaccinated or unknown‑status people, mostly linked to the Southwest outbreak, prompting fresh warnings about losing elimination status.
Johns Hopkins Tracker Shows 2025 Surpasses 2019 Record
Data
The U.S. Measles Tracker logs 1,281 cases, topping 2019’s modern‑era record and confirming 2025 as the worst measles year in more than three decades.
HHS Secretary Kennedy Orders CDC Surge to Texas
Response
After visiting families of two Texas children killed by measles, Kennedy publicly backs MMR and directs CDC to send more teams, vaccines and supplies to West Texas.
U.S. Notifies WHO of Expanding Measles Emergency
Statement
By March 20, officials report 378 cases across 17 states to WHO, many tied to the Texas‑centered outbreak, raising early concerns about elimination status.
Southwest Outbreak Ignites in West Texas Mennonite Community
Outbreak
Measles spreads through an under‑vaccinated Mennonite community in Gaines County, Texas, then into New Mexico and Oklahoma, eventually sickening nearly 900 and killing three unvaccinated people.
2019 New York Outbreak Nearly Costs U.S. Elimination Status
Outbreak
Under‑immunized Orthodox Jewish communities in New York drive 934 measles cases, forcing emergency orders and nearly ending the nation’s elimination designation.
Disneyland Outbreak Shows Power of Pockets
Outbreak
An unvaccinated child with measles linked to Disneyland sparks a 131‑case multistate outbreak, largely in undervaccinated communities, igniting debate over personal‑belief exemptions.
U.S. Wins “Eliminated” Status for Measles
Milestone
Federal health officials declare measles eliminated in the United States after sustained high MMR vaccination rates, meaning no continuous domestic transmission for over a year.
Scenarios
1
“U.S. Loses Measles Elimination Status in Early 2026 After Yearlong Southwest Transmission”
Discussed by: WHO advisers, LiveScience, Washington Post, Johns Hopkins measles-tracker analysts
If the chain that began in West Texas and later seeded Arizona and Utah isn’t fully extinguished by roughly January 2026, WHO can rule that endemic transmission has resumed and strip the U.S. of its elimination badge. That outcome would be a symbolic gut‑punch – proof that even a rich country can backslide when vaccination rates drift down and politics muddy the message – and would likely spark calls for tighter school vaccine laws and new federal funding but also fuel further partisan fights.
2
“Backlash After 2025 Outbreaks Drives States to Tighten School Vaccine Mandates”
Discussed by: State health officials, mainstream medical groups, some state legislators in South Carolina, Arizona, and Texas
One path is the post‑Disneyland playbook: high‑profile outbreaks prompt parents, doctors and school boards to demand fewer loopholes. Lawmakers in states rattled by 2025 clusters could move to roll back broad personal‑belief exemptions, enforce exclusion of unvaccinated kids during outbreaks, and fund catch‑up clinics, especially in rural and religious schools. If a few swing states act – and courts uphold their laws – overall coverage could inch back above 95% in key regions, shrinking but not eliminating the risk of future flare‑ups.
Discussed by: Guardian and AP reporting, vaccine-hesitancy researchers, some skeptical political commentators
The darker scenario is that 2025’s scare fades from headlines while the structural problems stay: politicized vaccine debates, federal leaders sending mixed signals, overworked local health departments, and communities like Colorado City or Way of Truth Church that remain hard to reach. National averages could hover around 92–93% MMR coverage, but with dense clusters far lower, ensuring a steady trickle of outbreaks, school closures, and occasional deaths. Measles wouldn’t explode everywhere – it would just become another recurring American disease, disproportionately hitting children in marginalized or insular groups.
Historical Context
2015 Disneyland Measles Outbreak
2014-12 – 2015-04
What Happened
An infected visitor at Disneyland in California seeded a multistate outbreak that ultimately infected 131 people in California and dozens more in other U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Most cases were in unvaccinated individuals, many whose parents had declined MMR shots despite easy access.
Outcome
Short Term
California declared the outbreak over in April 2015 and saw a surge in demand for MMR shots.
Long Term
Public outrage helped lawmakers pass California’s SB277, virtually eliminating personal‑belief exemptions for school vaccines.
Why It's Relevant Today
It shows how a single exposure in an under‑vaccinated pocket can ignite a national scare – and how outbreaks can catalyze tougher school vaccine rules.
2019 New York and National Measles Resurgence
2018-10 – 2019-10
What Happened
Large outbreaks in close‑knit Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City and nearby counties produced 1,249 U.S. measles cases in 2019, the highest since 1992. About 89% of patients were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status, and transmission in New York nearly lasted long enough to cost the U.S. its elimination status.
Outcome
Short Term
New York imposed emergency orders, banned unvaccinated kids from public places, and eventually shut down the outbreaks.
Long Term
The U.S. barely kept its elimination designation, but the episode foreshadowed how declining coverage could make that status fragile.
Why It's Relevant Today
It’s the closest historical near‑miss: a reminder that elimination is a policy achievement, not a biological law, and can be undone by a few under‑immunized communities.
2019 Samoa Measles Disaster
2019-09 – 2020-01
What Happened
After a vaccine‑handling error killed two infants and shattered public trust, Samoa’s childhood MMR coverage plunged to about one‑third. When measles arrived, it ripped through the island nation, infecting more than 5,700 people out of a population of 200,000 and killing at least 83, mostly babies and young children.
Outcome
Short Term
The government declared a state of emergency, shut schools, and ran door‑to‑door mass vaccination drives to stop the epidemic.
Long Term
By late 2019, vaccination coverage rebounded above 90%, and Samoa now mandates measles immunization for children.
Why It's Relevant Today
Samoa is an extreme case of what happens when trust and coverage collapse – and it now shadows U.S. debates because its leaders explicitly blame Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s earlier vaccine rhetoric.
