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Global Measles Cases Surge as Vaccination Rates Fall, WHO Warns
- December 1, 2025
- I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
Between 2000 and 2024, global measles deaths fell by 88%, saving an estimated 58 million lives, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report.
But now the virus is spreading again in places that had once pushed it to the brink: A sign that too many children are now missing their routine vaccines.
Last year, 59 countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks, almost triple the number seen in 2021.
Some of these outbreaks happened in places once considered measles-free, such as Canada and the United States.
"Global measles elimination remains a distant goal," the report says.
The agency warns that years of progress are at risk because routine vaccines and disease-tracking systems have not fully recovered since the pandemic.
The United States reached measles elimination in 2000, meaning the virus was no longer spreading continuously in the country. But this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,798 confirmed cases so far, the highest number since elimination was reached.
WHO officials say they are closely watching the United States, Canada and other countries that previously controlled measles but are now seeing a rise in infections.
"Measles remains the world’s most contagious virus," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told CNN.
Even with an effective, low-cost vaccine, he said, the virus "exploits gaps in immunization coverage."
Globally, more than 30 million children were under-protected against measles in 2024, Diana Chang Blanc, who leads WHO’s Essential Program on Immunization, told CNN. Around the globe, only 84% received a first vaccine dose and just 76% received the important second dose that boosts immunity to about 95%.
Despite setbacks, several places have reached major milestones. Cabo Verde, Seychelles and Mauritius became the first African countries to eliminate measles this year.
Additionally, 21 Pacific Island nations eliminated both measles and rubella.
"We have made measurable progress towards measles elimination," Blanc told CNN.
But "cases and deaths are still unacceptably high," she added.
She stressed that every measles death can be prevented with routine vaccination.
According to WHO, several factors are driving the decline in coverage:
Missed childhood vaccines during the pandemic
Misinformation about vaccines
Difficulty reaching families in conflict areas
Funding cuts
WHO warned that recent reductions in global health funding, including cuts to the Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, could widen immunity gaps and cause even larger outbreaks in the coming years.
More information
The Mayo Clinic has more on measles.
SOURCE: CNN, Nov. 28, 2025
