Yikes, measles is making a nasty comeback in the US talk about a blast from the past that literally nobody asked for. Nearly 1,300 cases? That’s the highest it’s been since, what, the early ‘90s? Wild. John Hopkins University dropped the numbers on Friday and, honestly, it’s not the kind of milestone you want to be celebrating.
So, measles is popping up in 38 states plus DC. Three people have already died, and 155 folks ended up in the hospital. Here’s the kicker: 92% of these cases are in people who either skipped the vaccine or nobody even knows if they got the shot. Like, c’mon. The CDC says Texas is getting slammed the hardest over 700 cases there alone. Kansas and New Mexico are dealing with their own mini-waves, too.
Where’s it spreading? Places where people aren’t big on vaccines, obviously. Some Mennonite communities in Texas, for example, tend to avoid modern medicine, and the virus is having a field day there.
Let’s be real, the anti-vax crowd hasn’t helped. That whole movement’s been getting louder lately, not just in the US, but everywhere. Even Robert F Kennedy Jr. yeah, the dude who’s been spreading all kinds of vaccine nonsense had to backtrack and admit the measles, mumps, and rubella shot is actually the way to go. He posted on X calling it the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.” Took him long enough.
Back in 1990, measles cases hit almost 28,000. The US basically wiped it out by 2000 because people actually got vaccinated. For a while, cases were super low like, under 90 a year. Then, starting in 2014 and again in 2019, things started creeping up. 2019 clocked in at 1,274 cases, but 2025 just blew past that, now up to 1,277 and counting.
Experts are warning: if this keeps up for another year, the US can kiss its “measles-free” status goodbye. That’s just embarrassing, honestly.
On the bright side, the scare has made more people go get their shots. Between January and mid-March, Texas handed out at least 173,000 measles doses up from 158,000 during the same stretch last year. Little victories, I guess.
Just as a reminder, the MMR vaccine is the real MVP here. It’s 97% effective and protects against mumps and rubella too. Without it, you’re rolling the dice with pneumonia, brain swelling, or even death. Not really worth the risk, is it?
And it’s not just the US. The UK’s been getting hammered too almost 3,000 cases in England last year, the most they’ve had since 2012. This year, they’re already at 529 cases. Canada’s in the same boat, with over 3,000 cases so far in 2025, mostly in Ontario and Alberta.
So yeah, turns out, the ‘90s aren’t just coming back in fashion they’re bringing the diseases with them. Get your shots, people.