Measles Cases Rising in the U.S.

Measles cases in the United States are expanding beyond just school children and their families.

At least 12 individuals at Ave Maria University, a private Catholic college near Naples, Florida, have tested positive for measles, as reported by a local NBC News affiliate. Three of these individuals required hospitalization.

A student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also contracted measles after traveling abroad, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Earlier this year, Clemson University in South Carolina confirmed a measles case involving someone connected to the institution.

It’s concerning that three cases of this highly contagious virus can trigger an outbreak, and such outbreaks are on the rise across the country. Up to this point in the year, at least 17 states have reported measles cases.

The initial cases at Ave Maria University were identified on January 29. Josephine Miller, a junior, expressed skepticism about the numbers initially reported: “I suspect there are actually more cases out there. Many of my friends have mentioned that people are getting sick.”

Both Ave Maria University and the Florida Department of Health in Collier County have not responded to requests for further information.

On Sunday, university officials sent out a letter to students stating that a team from the Florida Department of Health had been sent to the campus to conduct contact tracing and manage the response to the outbreak. The letter noted that these cases most likely originated from a student’s holiday travel to another state.

Nationwide Outbreaks

The South Carolina Department of Public Health announced that an additional 29 people have tested positive in recent days, while 354 individuals remain in quarantine. Most of the 876 cases in South Carolina have occurred among young children and teenagers in Spartanburg County.

Meanwhile, ongoing measles outbreaks in Utah and Arizona have sickened at least 505 people to date, according to health officials in those states.

In California, health officials are also on alert for potential cases after a child who visited Disneyland on January 28 was found to be contagious. So far, no cases linked to this exposure have been reported.

A previous outbreak tied to Disneyland from 2014-2015 resulted in at least 125 cases across seven states.

The South Carolina outbreak is now the largest in the nation since the virus was declared eliminated in the U.S. back in 2000. Prior to this outbreak, Texas had reported 762 cases in 2025 before that situation concluded in August.

Measles Symptoms

• Headache and high fever, potentially reaching 104 degrees.
• Cough and runny nose.
• Red, watery eyes.
• Tiny white spots inside the mouth.
• A red, splotchy rash that usually starts on the scalp and moves downwards to the neck, trunk, arms, and legs.

Approximately 1 in 10 measles cases results in hospitalization. Last year, three individuals in the U.S., including two young girls, lost their lives due to measles.