US reports more than 1,000 measles cases amid active outbreaks across 11 states
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 14 outbreaks had been recorded this year, with 93 per cent of confirmed cases being outbreak-associated.
As of May 9, Texas's state health department has confirmed 709 cases, 92 per cent of which have been hospitalised over the course of the outbreak, which began three months ago.
"There have been two fatalities in school-aged children who lived in the outbreak area [West Texas]," the health department said in a statement.
The state department said it was working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.
Other states with active outbreaks — which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
Fifty-seven per cent of Texas's cases were in Gaines County, which has a population of 22,892, where the virus had been spreading in a close-knit, under-vaccinated community, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The county has had 403 cases since late January — just over 1.7 per cent of the county's residents, it said.
So far, three deaths — including an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico who died of a measles-related illness — have been confirmed in 2025.
North America has two other ongoing outbreaks, all of which are caused by the same measles strain, according to the AP.
One outbreak in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 1,440 cases from mid-October through May 6, representing a 197-case increase in a week.
The Mexican state of Chihuahua reported 1,041 measles cases and one death as of Friday, local time, according to data from the state health ministry.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said a total of more than 2,300 measles cases were detected in six countries in North America and South America since January 2025, an 11-fold increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
Those six countries include Canada, the USA, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Belize.
"The majority of cases have occurred among people between 1 and 29 years [old], who are either unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status," the WHO said.
"Additionally, most cases are imported or linked to importation."
In April, medical professionals urged travellers to stay vigilant as Australia deals with a local surge of measles, sparked by a global rise in cases amid declining childhood vaccination rates.
Doctors told the ABC that the number one defence against the spread of measles was immunisation.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, Australia has reported 71 measles cases across six states and territories, excluding Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, as of May 9.
ABC/AP
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