The number of measles cases in the United States has reached record levels for the past 25 years since the disease was declared eliminated.

This was reported by The New York Times.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2025, more measles cases were recorded in the U.S. than in any other year since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000. A total of 1,288 confirmed cases of measles were reported in the country, and 92% of those infected had not been previously vaccinated.

The publication notes that public health experts fear the United States may lose its elimination status — a designation given to countries where there has been no continuous transmission of measles for a year.

Pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Adam Ratner believes that the loss of elimination status would become a symbol of how much the public discourse has deteriorated and how politicized the topic of vaccination has become.

Measles is an acute viral infectious disease with a very high level of contagiousness, caused by a specific virus. The disease is characterized by high fever, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and upper respiratory tract, conjunctivitis, a distinctive maculopapular rash on the skin, and general intoxication.