Measles Outbreak

The Voice
Apr 23
2 min read

By Joanna Giano

It’s only been a few years since COVID rates have dipped, reversing face mask and social distancing protocols. March 2023 was pointed out as the end of the pandemic. Now, a year later, we might have to pull out the face masks once more as a once-dormant virus is starting to resurface. Measles is making a dangerous comeback in 2025, prompting health officials to call for urgent action.

On March 20, the Redding Sentinel reported 378 confirmed cases in 18 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C). Now more than double, the number of confirmed cases has risen quickly, with the CDC reporting over 800 cases as of April 17. The spread has expanded with cases residing in 25 states across the nation (CDC, 2025).

While Texas leads the current measles outbreak with over 250 confirmed cases, New York has reported fewer than 10 (CDC, 2025). The state’s first confirmed cases this year were reported back on March 11, and the numbers have remained relatively low since. A majority of the individuals confirmed to have measles (rubeola) are unvaccinated, making up 96% of cases. This suggests that New York's lower incident reports might be due to the state's high vaccination rate of 97% in 2024 and throughout the prior years, as they successfully eliminated community-wide outbreaks. This is a big contrast from Texas, which reported a 94.3% in 2024 and ____

New York's defence against measles started years before this outbreak. CNN reported a concerning spike in reports within Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community that mrequired extreme efforts to contain. Journalist Deidre McPhillips noted that 200,000 vaccine doses were administered in New York City alone—“three times more than the annual baseline” (McPhillips, CNN). They used a “highly individualized approach,” including going door-to-door to reach high-risk residents. In some cases, medical personnel went undercover to vaccinate members of the Orthodox community to avoid neighbors finding out they were getting vaccinated. Health officials attributed the city’s ability to pause the outbreak to a strong vaccination registry, which helped identify the most vulnerable people.

Likewise, in Texas, Political resistance to vaccines has made it difficult for public health officials to track, respond to, and prevent outbreaks in certain areas.

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As measles cases continue to rise, concerns about a nationwide outbreak are growing. New York’s efforts show how early intervention and strong vaccination programs can keep communities safe. In contrast, Texas’s more hands-off approach has seen cases surge. Whether this outbreak gets worse depends on how we handle things from here, through our health systems, our response, and the trust we build within our communities. If we wait too long to act, we may find ourselves facing a preventable crisis.