Data shows measles cases climb nationwide, 57 reported in Southwest Florida

AVE MARIA, Fla. (WINK) — The United States may be on track for one of its worst years for measles cases in decades, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] shows.

This comes following a reported measles outbreak at Ave Maria University last week, totaling 57 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, according to the Ave Maria Primary Care Clinic.

Those figures are not yet reflected in statewide or federal databases because growing cases at the local level can outpace cases reported at the state and federal level.

As of Feb. 5, data shows 733 confirmed measles cases have been reported to the CDC nationwide this year. That’s nearly one-third of the 2,276 cases reported last year.

The rise over the past two years nationwide marks a shift compared to earlier trends, according to the CDC:

• 2024: 285 total cases
• 2023: 59 total cases
• 2022: 121 total cases
• 2021: 49 total cases
• 2020: 13 total cases

Of the 733 confirmed cases so far this year:

• 727 cases have been reported across 20 jurisdictions:
  Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
• Six cases involve international visitors to the United States.

Last year, data reveals measles cases spiked in January and remained elevated throughout the year, with high numbers recorded nationwide in December.

According to the CDC, South Carolina is currently reporting the highest outbreak numbers in the country.

Public health experts say the upward trajectory is concerning, especially since measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 — a milestone officials believe was achieved through widespread use of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

"The most vulnerable are going to be your infants who have not yet received vaccination," Anthony Musingo, a physician assistant at the Ave Maria Primary Care Clinic, told WINK News on Tuesday. "If you have an infant who has a known exposure or is in an endemic area, you can do modified vaccination schedules for children under 12 months of age. So, you can vaccinate as early as six months."

According to the CDC, national MMR vaccination coverage among kindergarteners dropped from 95.2% during the 2019–2020 school year to 92.5% in 2024–2025. 

Health officials point to falling immunization coverage as a major factor behind the resurgence in measles cases. That decrease could leave approximately 286,000 kindergarteners at risk during the current school year, according to the CDC.

"Full immunity, statistically, comes after two weeks of vaccination," Musingo previously told WINK News. "But there’s good data to show that getting that vaccination within 72 hours of exposure has a meaningful impact on the illness."

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world, the CDC cites. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can linger even after that person leaves a room.

Global measles activity is also increasing, raising the likelihood unvaccinated travelers could contract the virus abroad and bring it back to the United States.

WINK News emailed the Florida Department of Health for clarification on how reporting delays impact available data at local, state and federal levels. 

We are committed to updating you as we learn more.