Measles outbreaks are worsening in Minnesota and South Carolina, the two newest states to have confirmed cases.
Here are four recent updates.
1. Minnesota has reported 20 measles cases this year. Two new cases were confirmed Oct. 12, both involving unvaccinated children who likely caught the infection from an unvaccinated adult. This situation — adults passing measles to children — accounts for 18 of 20 of the state’s measles cases in children, CBS News reported Oct 12.
2. South Carolina has confirmed 153 cases of measles among unvaccinated children, who have been kept out of classrooms and required to quarantine for a minimum of 21 days.
“Communities are having to bear the price of quarantining so many children,” Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told NBC News. “Expect more of the same. This is going to happen more and more frequently.”
3. As of October 7, 2025, a total of 1,563 confirmed measles cases were reported across 42 states.
4. Childhood vaccine rates have dropped since 2019, with 77% of U.S. counties and jurisdictions seeing a decline. During the 2024-2025 school year, MMR vaccine coverage fell to 92.5% among kindergartners. Exemptions rose to 3.6%, up from 3.3% the previous year.
