The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that measles cases so far this year had jumped to 93 from 14 a week ago, mainly driven by an outbreak in Texas.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said last week that more cases of the highly contagious disease were likely to surface due to an outbreak in Gaines County.
The state's health department said on Thursday that 90 cases had been identified since late January, with 57 cases in Gaines County.
The CDC said that 95% of the cases were in individuals who either had been vaccinated or had an unknown status, with 4% of the total patients receiving one dose of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine recommended by the CDC.
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning there was no continuous transmission of the disease for a year. The virus can spread via travelers from countries where measles is common.
The CDC said there have been three outbreaks reported in 2025. For comparison, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024, with a total 285 cases reported.
In recent years, federal health officials have attributed some outbreaks to parents refusing to vaccinate children.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a vaccine critic, was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services last week, overcoming resistance from the medical establishment and some members of Congress.