Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. logged fewer than 30 measles cases this week as Ohio health officials confirmed three outbreaks in two counties were over.

There have been 1,197 confirmed measles cases this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Health officials in Texas, where the nation’s biggest outbreak raged during the late winter and spring, confirmed two cases in the last week.

There are three other major outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,083 cases from mid-October through June 10. The province logged its first death June 5 in a baby who got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions.

Another outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 868 as of Thursday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 2,179 measles cases and four deaths as of Friday, according to data from the state health ministry.

Other U.S. states with active outbreaks — which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and Oklahoma.

Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.

How many measles cases are there in Texas?

There are a total of 744 cases across 35 counties, most of them in West Texas, state health officials said Tuesday.

Throughout the outbreak, 96 people have been hospitalized.

State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious. Fifty-five percent of Texas’ cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 411 cases since late January — just under 2% of the county’s residents.

The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6.

How many measles cases are there in New Mexico?

New Mexico held steady Friday with a total of 81 cases.

Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state’s cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Doña Ana County has two. Chaves, Curry and San Juan counties have one each.

An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care.

How many cases are there in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma stayed steady Friday with a total of 16 confirmed and three probable cases.

The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases.

How many cases are there in Arizona?

Arizona has four cases in Navajo County. They are linked to a single source, the county health department said Monday. All four were unvaccinated and had a history of recent international travel.

How many cases are there in Colorado?

Colorado has seen a total of 14 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of eight related cases.

The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May, and includes four cases in Arapahoe County, three in El Paso County and one in Denver, plus a person who doesn’t live in Colorado.

Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo.

How many cases are there in Illinois?

Illinois health officials confirmed a four-case outbreak on May 5 in the far southern part of the state. It grew to eight cases as of June 6, but no new cases were reported in the following week, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The state’s other two cases so far this year were in Cook County, and are unrelated to the southern Illinois outbreak.

How many cases are there in Kansas?

Kansas has a total of 76 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but two of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County.

How many cases are there in Montana?

Montana had 20 measles cases as of Tuesday. Twelve were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up — Montana’s first in 35 years.

Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had four cases.

There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

How many cases are there in North Dakota?

North Dakota, which hadn’t seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of June 6, but has held steady since. Two of the people have been hospitalized, and all of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated.

There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case.

Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?

Measles cases also have been reported this year in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

Earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania were declared over by health officials after six weeks of no new cases. Tennessee’s outbreak also appears to be over.

Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year, and most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles.

What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?

The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.

Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.

People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have “presumptive immunity.”

Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to “herd immunity.” But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.

What are the symptoms of measles?

Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.

The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.

Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.

How can you treat measles?

There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – A third case of measles has been confirmed in the commonwealth. According to the Virginia Department of Health, two of the three cases were linked to international travel.

Emily Rich, vaccine-preventable disease epidemiologist for VDH, said that if you are traveling, make sure to talk with your health care provider to make sure you are caught up on any recommended vaccines.

“Make sure you have been vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine. Two doses of MMR are 97% effective at preventing measles,” Rich said.

There are different vaccines that could be recommended depending on your destination, Rich said. You can look at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Yellow Book to see what vaccine is recommended for your destination. You can help lower your chances of getting sick by practicing good hand hygiene and covering your face when you sneeze or cough, Rich added.

“We recommend you stay home if you are sick and seeking health care prior to any travel, if you are not feeling well,” Rich said.

Rich said that if you plan to travel with an infant that is 6-11 months old, they are eligible for an early dose of MMR vaccine to protect them, which should be followed up with two doses of the vaccine on the recommended schedule.

Preventing norovirus

According to the CDC, there are around 2,500 cases of norovirus in the United States every year, and most outbreaks happen when infected people spread the virus through direct contact.

Symptoms of norovirus begin 12-48 hours after exposure. Some preventative measures include washing your hands, cleaning contaminated surfaces with a bleach-based household cleaner, and washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly.

Copyright 2025 WHSV. All rights reserved.

Health officials have warned of a potential measles outbreak at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

A passenger arriving on an international flight tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory illness, which is currently ripping through the US.

Travelers who were at the airport, which serves the Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland region, on June 8 have been warned they could be at high risk of the virus.

The infected traveler passed through Concourse A, took airport transportation to the International Arrivals Building (IAB), then visited the baggage claim area between 10:30am and 1pm.

In addition, they took public transportation in the area on the same day, traveling on the Washington Metro Silver Line train from the Dulles International Airport station to the Red Line, heading towards Shady Grove station between 11:30am and 2:30pm.

Travelers who fear they may have been exposed are advised to confirm if they have been vaccinated against measles.

To date in 2025, Virginia has three reported cases of measles, with another one of these cases also linked to a traveler at Washington Dulles International Airport.

The new case comes as Texas is battling a measles outbreak that has infected nearly 800 people and killed two children – and experts warn the US is vulnerable to even more measles outbreaks because of falling vaccination rates.

Health officials have warned of a potential measles outbreak at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia

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At this time, 744 cases have been confirmed in the Lone Star state since late January.

Ninety-six of the patients have been hospitalized and there have been two fatalities in unvaccinated school-aged children who lived in the outbreak area.

Overall, in the US there have been 1,168 confirmed measles cases reported by 34 states and at least three deaths.

Measles is the world’s most contagious disease – infecting nine out of 10 people exposed – but those who are fully vaccinated are protected in 97 percent of cases.

The illness causes tiny white spots inside the mouth, flat red spots on the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet, ear infections and a high fever.

If severe, it can lead to life-threatening pneumonia.

Children need two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine: the first at age 12-15 months, and the second dose at age 4-6 years.

Babies ages 6-11 months should get an early dose if traveling internationally. Adults should also check to see if they are immune to measles.

About one to three in 1,000 people with measles dies of the illness.

Out of studied counties, 78 percent or 1,614 counties reported drops in MMR vaccination rates

Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles

In an updated advisory, the CDC is warning that people can get infected with measles during travel or at crowded events, unless they are fully vaccinated or have had the disease.

The notice reads: ‘Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings, including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events.

‘Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune.’

The government agency recommends that all travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to an international destination.

The last time measles was this rife in the US was in 2019, when there were 1,274 cases reported for the entire year.

Measles was officially eradicated in the US in 2000 amid a successful vaccination campaign.

At the time, the CDC described achieving measles elimination status in the US as a ‘historic public health achievement’.

However, a recent study found uptake of the vaccine among children declined in eight in 10 US counties last year, which is being signaled as the cause of the measles resurgence.

Overall, vaccine rates fell three percent across the country.

It means that 91 percent of children are vaccinated against measles, which is below the 95 percent needed to prevent the disease from spreading and causing deaths.

The Johns Hopkins University researchers warned that if vaccination rates continue to fall, measles is likely to return and become a common infection among Americans.

In its weekly measles update the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported 80 more measles cases, the biggest jump since late April, putting the United States on pace to easily reach the highest annual number of cases since it achieved measles elimination status in 2000.

Cases have now reached 1,168. In a shift, most of the new cases appear to be linked to travel and an increasing number of outbreaks rather than the large outbreak centered in West Texas. The United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency (HSA) this week warned that summer travel could trigger another measles surge in England amid the backdrop of rising global cases over the last year and ongoing outbreaks in part of England, including London.

The CDC said 34 states have now reported cases, which likely reflects the first from South Dakota. Also, its total reflects three more outbreaks, putting the total for the year at 17. Of cases reported so far, 89% are linked to outbreaks.

This year’s number of outbreaks has now passed the 2024 total of 16, which were responsible for 69% of last year’s measles infections.

Of cases reported this year, 95% have been in people who were unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. Children ages 5 to 19 years old are the most affected group, making up 38% of infections, followed closely by adults (33%) and children younger than 5 (29%).

New cases in Virginia and Georgia

No new cases were reported today from Texas or other states with links to the West Texas outbreak.

The Virginia Department of Health yesterday announced the state’s third case of the year, which involves a child younger than 4 years old from the state’s northwest region who was exposed to the state’s second confirmed case, a teen who had traveled internationally.

Similarly, the Georgia Department of Public Health today reported a new case linked to exposure to a sick family member who acquired his or her measles infection outside the country. The newly reported patient is an unvaccinated resident of the Atlanta metro area.

Georgia has now reported five cases for 2025, which is already approaching the six cases is confirmed for all of 2024.

First measles death reported in Canada

Canada has been battling an even bigger measles outbreak this year, with activity that began in undervaccinated communities in southwestern Ontario. In its latest update earlier this week, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported 244 new cases for the previous week, putting the country’s total at 2,755, of which nearly 2,000 are from Ontario.

Yesterday, Ontario health officials announced the country’s first measles death of the year, a premature infant who was born to an unvaccinated mother.

In a statement, Kieran Moore, MD, MPH, MSc, Ontario’s chief medical officer, said the baby contracted measles before birth and that measles may have played a contributing role in the premature birth death. He also said the infant faced other serious medical complications that weren’t related to the virus.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family during this incredibly difficult time. I also want to thank the dedicated health-care professionals who cared for both the mother and infant with compassion and expertise,” Moore said.

Editorial note: This article was corrected on June 9 to more accurately reflect the patient’s contact status noted in the VDH statement.

The agency warns of rising in-transit infection risk as U.S. cases hit their highest level since 2019.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a major update to its measles vaccination guidance, urging all Americans traveling internationally—regardless of destination—to get vaccinated amid a resurgence of the disease in the United States and abroad.

“All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine,” the CDC said in a May 28 update. The agency recommends two doses for everyone aged 12 months or older, spaced at least 28 days apart, and a single early dose for infants aged 6 to 11 months who will be traveling.

“Most people who bring measles into the United States are unvaccinated U.S. residents who get infected during international travel,” the agency added.

The new travel alert marks a significant shift from previous CDC guidance, which prioritized vaccination only for those heading to outbreak-prone regions. Experts say the expanded recommendation reflects a growing risk of infection in transit—especially on airplanes and in airports.

“We’re seeing a shift from localized outbreaks to transmission in transit,” said Ashley Darcy-Mahoney, a professor at George Washington University’s nursing school.

That risk was recently illustrated in Colorado, where state health officials linked six confirmed measles cases to a single infected passenger aboard a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport on May 13. Among the infected are three Colorado residents who were on the flight, including a vaccinated adult from Arapahoe County, and two unrelated unvaccinated adults from El Paso County who were at the airport the following day and likely exposed to the virus there. A fourth case from the flight involved an out-of-state passenger.

All six individuals are recovering at home, but the outbreak prompted public health alerts and raised concerns about airborne exposure at the Denver airport. Health officials say both El Paso County residents were at the airport around the same time on May 14 and may have contracted measles through the shared airspace.

“Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a June 1 statement . “Measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious health problems—but it is a vaccine-preventable disease.”

Nationwide, the CDC has reported 1,088 measles cases in 33 states so far this year, including three deaths. That makes 2025 the worst year for measles in the United States since 2019, a year that saw 1,274 cases from a large outbreak in New York and cases in 30 additional states.

Meanwhile, measles cases continue to surface. In Minnesota, officials confirmed on June 2 that a child was infectious while visiting the Mall of America on May 24 and warned that anyone who was at the mall between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. that day may have been exposed and should monitor themselves for symptoms. New Jersey authorities issued a warning after a person carrying measles attended a sold-out Shakira concert at MetLife Stadium on May 15. No secondary cases have been linked to that event, but thousands of attendees were potentially exposed.

Health officials say measles spreads through coughing, sneezing, or simply breathing shared air. The virus can linger in a space for up to two hours after an infected person has left. Early symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes—followed by a distinctive rash that starts on the face and spreads. Complications can include pneumonia, brain swelling, and death, particularly in young children.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.