Measles cases are reaching concerning levels in the United States, marking the second-worst year since the disease was considered eliminated about 25 years ago. A recent outbreak in a North Dakota county has prompted local health officials to quarantine nearly 200 students who are unvaccinated.
This year, North Dakota has reported nine cases of measles, with schoolchildren in Williams County at the center of a notable outbreak. Consequently, local health authorities have mandated a 21-day quarantine for unvaccinated students exposed to the virus, supported by the Upper Missouri District Health Unit and the state health department.
On Tuesday, a letter was sent to families of 188 unvaccinated students in the Williston Basin School District No. 7, informing them of the need for a three-week quarantine.
Prior to this, district nurse coordinator Lynn Douglas had reached out to all families to prepare for a possible outbreak, detailing quarantine procedures and emphasizing the importance of vaccination as a preventive measure.
“Williston Basin School District #7 holds a crucial role in the health of our students,” Douglas noted in her communication with CNN. “If vaccine-preventable diseases spread in schools, we would see significant student absences and negative health impacts.”
She added that even a minor decrease in vaccination rates can spark outbreaks, as unvaccinated students are particularly vulnerable to serious complications from measles, a highly contagious but preventable disease. “To ensure safety, protective measures are essential, including excluding unvaccinated students from school,” Douglas remarked.
According to a CNN tally based on data from state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been over 1,018 measles cases reported throughout the U.S. in 2025. The CDC updates figures on measles cases weekly, although it no longer provides specific state counts, which may affect the accuracy of national totals.
Most of these reported cases, around 845, are connected to an outbreak originating in West Texas that has now reached New Mexico, Oklahoma, and potentially Kansas. Texas accounts for 709 of these cases, followed by New Mexico with 71, and Oklahoma with 17—14 confirmed and three probable. In Kansas, there are 48 cases thought to be associated with this outbreak. Experts caution that actual numbers are likely higher due to underreporting.
Since measles was officially eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, the only other time cases exceeded 1,000 was in 2019, spurred by significant outbreaks in New York. That year, there were 1,274 confirmed cases, just slightly above the current total for 2025.
Nationwide, CDC statistics indicate that 126 individuals have been hospitalized due to measles this year, representing about 13% of all cases, along with three confirmed deaths. These fatalities include two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico—none vaccinated against the disease. It’s worth noting that most current cases involve unvaccinated individuals; only around 4% of confirmed cases are among those who have received one or two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
This year has seen 14 separate outbreaks, with at least one reported case in 30 states as indicated by the CDC.
