U.S. reports over 2,000 measles cases in 2025, highest since 1992

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United States reported more than 2,000 measles cases in 2025, the highest annual total since 1992, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As of Dec. 30, a total of 2,065 confirmed measles cases had been reported nationwide, with about 11 percent of patients requiring hospitalization. The cases were reported across 44 U.S. jurisdictions, along with a small number of cases among international visitors to the United States, the CDC said.

The figure marks the highest yearly tally since 1992, when 2,126 measles cases were confirmed nationwide.

According to the CDC, 49 outbreaks were reported in 2025, and outbreak-associated cases accounted for 88 percent of all confirmed infections.

Patients aged 5 to 19 made up the largest share of the cases, representing about 42 percent of the total.

Three confirmed deaths from measles were reported in the United States in 2025.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning "there is no measles spreading within the country and new cases are only found when someone contracts measles abroad and returns to the country," according to the CDC.

With surges in measles cases and outbreaks last year, public health experts have warned that the United States could soon lose its elimination status, as Canada did in November 2025. Enditem