We study pandemics, and the resurgence of measles is a grim sign of what’s coming

In the three decades between 1993 and 2024, measles in the US was relatively rare — a few hundred cases each year, at most. But suddenly, the disease has become so entrenched in American life that it sometimes fails to make headlines when a new outbreak erupts.

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Low levels of vaccination across the country mean measles outbreaks will continue to occur, needlessly hospitalising and killing the unvaccinated. But beyond these harms, the disease’s resurgence serves as a serious warning about the country’s capacity to manage infectious disease threats of all kinds.

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Measles’ return is no mystery: At its root is the falling vaccination rate. Around 90 per cent of the US population has received the  MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella , and in some regions of the country,  the rate is below 60 per cent .

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By any measure, the ongoing US measles outbreaks signal that the disease has returned in a way that will have serious adverse health consequences. In 2025,  three people died from measles  in the US. That is more than in any year since the disease’s elimination 25 years ago.