Measles infections in the United States have surged past 1,500 so far this year, marking the highest number of cases since the disease was declared eradicated in 2000. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report from September 24, a total of 1,514 cases have been confirmed in 2025, with the majority linked to a large outbreak that began in West Texas.
In Utah, health officials have reported 42 cases, primarily clustered in the southwestern part of the state near the Arizona border. For its part, Arizona has confirmed 52 infections, 48 of them concentrated in Mohave County, a rural region now at the center of the outbreak.
Public health agencies caution that the highly contagious virus spreads easily in communities with low vaccination rates and can cause severe illness, particularly in children. The CDC also noted that some infections have been traced to domestic travel and local community transmission, underscoring how quickly the disease can spread once reintroduced.
Back in 2000, measles was officially eliminated in the US. But with rising vaccine hesitancy and growing clusters of under-vaccinated communities, the virus is making a dangerous comeback. Click through to learn how measles spreads, what symptoms to watch out for, and how to stay protected.