Measles — one of the world’s most contagious diseases — was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, due to widespread use of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The new cases dovetail with a significant drop in vaccination rates.

U.S. measles cases hit 1,277—the worst outbreak since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, surpassing 2019's peak.

The United States has broken its record for the highest number of measles cases in the country since the disease was eliminated in 2000. It comes amid falling childhood vaccination rates and

Measles cases in the United States are the highest they’ve been since the country eliminated the disease in 2000.

Johns Hopkins University data reflects the public health reversal in defeating the vaccine-preventable disease since measles was officially eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.

The United States reached its highest number of measles cases in over 33 years on Monday, hitting 1,277 confirmed cases across 38 states and Washington, D.C. The country reached the highest number of cases of the vaccine-preventable disease since 1992,

Measles cases in the US have hit a 33-year high, with nearly 1,300 infections reported in 2025, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Once declared eliminated in the US in 2000, the disease is resurging amid declining vaccination rates.