The resurgence of measles in 2025
24 December 2025
Measles, one of the most contagious diseases known to humanity, was once on the brink of elimination in many parts of the world. However, the disease is currently experiencing a significant resurgence, driven primarily by gaps in vaccination coverage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2025, measles cases have surged worldwide, reversing years of progress. Provisional data indicate rising infections across multiple regions, with outbreaks linked to low immunization rates and imported cases.
In the United States nearly 2,000 confirmed cases were reported in 2025, with outbreaks occurring mostly in under-vaccinated communities. This is the highest annual total in decades, risking the loss of the United State's measles elimination status. The Americas region lost its elimination status in November 2025 due to sustained transmission. Europe, on the other hand, saw a record high of over 127,000 cases already in 2024, continuing a trend started in 2016. This trend has continued this year, with various European countries reporting a significant number of cases. India and parts of Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia continue to report higher transmission in under-vaccinated areas. It is worth noting that Russia and China maintain high vaccination coverage (>95%), resulting in very low incidence and no major outbreaks in 2025.
Measles complications included pneumonia, encephalitis, and permanent vision damage, leading to temporary or permanent blindness. Measles remains a leading cause of preventable childhood blindness in low-income countries, often exacerbated by vitamin A deficiency, causing 15,000–60,000 cases annually worldwide. Before the measles vaccine was introduced, the disease was a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. In the United States alone, nearly all children contracted measles by age 15, leading to 3-4 million cases annually, 48,000 hospitalizations, 4,000 cases of encephalitis, and 400-500 deaths each year in the pre-vaccine decade. In the United Kingdom, annual notifications ranged from 160,000 to 800,000 cases, with over 100 deaths per year from acute measles. Globally, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths annually before 1963. Mortality rates were higher in malnourished populations, with complications like pneumonia and encephalitis contributing significantly. The introduction of the vaccine dramatically reduced cases: cases dropped over 95% within a few years in those countries that introduced the measles vaccine. Globally, vaccination has prevented millions of deaths, with an 88% reduction from 2000 to 2024 alone.
In 1998, a paper published in The Lancet by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues suggested a link between the trivalent MMR vaccine and autism. This publication caused a controversy that still lingers today, despite its many issues. The study was a small case series of 12 children, suggesting a link between the MMR vaccine, gastrointestinal issues, and developmental regression (interpreted as autism). At a press conference, Wakefield suggested using monovalent (single-antigen) vaccines instead of the combined trivalent MMR vaccines. Investigations however revealed serious issues: the study was fraudulent, with manipulated and falsified data, lack of proper ethical approval and, crucially, undisclosed conflicts of interest. Wakefield was in fact paid substantial sums by lawyers suing vaccine manufacturers and had also filed a patent for a single (monovalent) measles vaccine, from which he could have benefitted if public confidence in the trivalent MMR vaccine declined. Ten co-authors retracted the interpretation in 2004, and The Lancet fully retracted the paper in 2010. Wakefield was struck off the UK medical register for serious professional misconduct.
Despite these facts, vaccine hesitancy has grown in recent years, expecially after the COVID-19. The pandemic, which on its own disrupted routines causing coverage drops, had an often contested management. In particular, mandatory vaccination policies were felt by some as overreaching of individual liberties. This led to polarized debates eroding trust in institutions and vaccines for certain groups, fueling broader hesitancy. This societal fracture has contributed to pockets of low coverage sustaining outbreaks.
As it stands, global first-dose measles vaccine coverage remains around 84% (with second-dose lower), far below the 95% needed for herd immunity. Trends suggest further increases in cases and mortality if immunity gaps persist: potentially tens of thousands more cases and associated deaths annually without catch-up campaigns and efforts to rebuild trust.