Measles has spread to three more states as the outbreak reaches 800 confirmed cases across the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Louisiana, Virginia and Missouri each confirmed their first cases over the weekend, with at least 27 states now reporting the disease.
All three of the new cases in the states were linked to international travel, according to state health officials.
The Department of Health in Louisiana said the individual who tested positive was not vaccinated and will remain in isolation until they are no longer infectious. The patient is in the greater New Orleans area.
A child in Virginia is the state’s first case of measles this year, the Virginia Department of Health confirmed. The child’s vaccination status is unknown.
“This first case of measles in Virginia this year is a reminder of how easily this highly contagious disease can spread, particularly with international travel,” the department’s epidemiologist Laurie Forlano said. “Vaccination remains our best defense against measles and is safe and highly effective at protecting people and preventing outbreaks. We urge Virginians, especially those planning to travel, to check their vaccination status, talk to their health care provider, and get the MMR vaccine if needed.”
In Missouri, the first case detected in the state is also a child whose vaccination status has not yet been verified by officials.
“There is no indication of widespread exposure as this person was diagnosed soon after arrival to Taney County,” the state health department said. “Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted.”
Confirmed cases across the U.S. now stand at 800, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. It is nearly three times the total number of 285 cases reported in 2024, according to CDC data.
Cases are most prevalent in Texas, where two school-aged children have died from the disease. A 6-year-old girl from Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, died in February, the first measles death in the U.S. in a decade. An 8-year-old girl from the same town, Seminole, died earlier this month. Out of 800 cases, 597 are in West Texas.
Earlier this month Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who rose to prominence as an anti-vaccine advocate, met with the family of the 8-year-old girl who died from the disease.
Kennedy’s inconsistent and unclear message on the measles vaccines has made the outbreaks difficult to contain, experts say.
He has occasionally endorsed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as “effective,” but also continues to raise safety concerns about the shots in other statements. In a CBS interview last week, he claimed the vaccines were “not safety tested.”
That approach has been the biggest flaw of the government’s response, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, past president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
“Imagine if the captain of the Titanic had told you that you need to be careful about lifeboats and think about other opportunities,” del Rio said.
Trials were conducted on thousands of children before the vaccine was approved for use in the 1960s. The federal government has since used medical records to continue to monitor for side effects from use in millions of people since.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Texas and about two-thirds of states have introduced legislation this year that would make it easier to opt out of vaccines or otherwise put up barriers to ensuring more people get shots, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. That further undercuts efforts to keep infectious diseases at bay, health officials said.
AP contributed reporting
