The US has recently hit new records, but it wasn't a good record. CDC data shows that since the virus was considered to have been eliminated in 2000, the country has seen more cases of measles in 2025 than in a year.
As of July 29th, there were 1,333 confirmed cases of measles in the United States, according to the CDC. Previous records were 1,274 in 2019, with low vaccination rates occurring largely in New York's Orthodox Jewish community.
Most cases this year (762) are in Texas and are linked to an outbreak that began in January. New Mexico and Kansas also saw an uptick in this year's incident, with New Mexico reporting 96 as of July 24th, and Kansas reporting 90 as of July 23rd.
With the ever increasing number of cases of highly contagious and deadly viruses, Healthcare Brew asked executives across the healthcare industry how measles spreads will affect their respective sectors and whether health leaders can slow spreads.
hospital
“Measles has not so much damage to the entire U.S. health system so far, but it puts a strain on the local system, especially in rural areas,” Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Medical Center, told Healthcare Brew.
“It's important to remember and consider not only the health of the growing measles prevalence population, but also the individual victims it takes,” Hawkinson said. “The need to get sick or be hospitalized has a big impact on each patient and usually family.”
To combat the spread of measles, he said hospital leaders and public health officials should be wary of providing accurate and transparent messages about the potential risks of measles, including death.
“There is no cure for measles itself, but there are very safe and effective preventive interventions with vaccinations,” Hawkinson said. “This is a combination of these things that will help us fight the rise of the measles incident: awareness, accurate messaging, access to healthcare and access to vaccinations.”
Health Technology
Brad Perkins, chief medical officer at Karius, a health technology company focused on infectious disease diagnosis, said the measles outbreak “exposes systemic vulnerability in the scope of vaccination and public trust, undermines decades of progress in controlling and eliminating measles in the United States.”
Healthcare Brew covers drug development, health startups, the latest technologies, and how it will impact hospitals and providers and keep administrators and providers informed.
“The revival of measles in the United States is putting a new strain on healthcare systems already growing due to chronic labor shortages, sustained post-pandemic disruptions and chronic budget uncertainty,” Perkins said.
Like Hawkinson, he highlighted the need for health technology leaders to fight misinformation and support vaccine education.
“Leadership at this moment means defending evidence-based foundations of public health and defending the importance of everyday childhood vaccinations,” he said.
Retail Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals
Anita Patel, Vice President of Pharmacy Services Development at Walgreens, told Healthcare that the rise in measles cases in the US is “a reminder of how important daily vaccinations are,” adding that the virus “puts unnecessary strain on the health care system, leading to inevitable hospitalization and suffering.”
Pharmacy leaders “play an important role in vaccine education and access,” Patel said, as pharmacies are one of the most common places where people are vaccinated.
Amy Compton-Phillips, chief medical officer at EVP and CVS Health, said the rise in measles cases is putting an “unnecessary burden” on the health care system, increasing costs by requiring additional staffing and resources.
The provider must “take measures to remind patients about the disease, its risks and safe and effective methods to prevent it,” she added. “Drugs can also play an important role in the fight against measles by increasing the importance of preventive vaccination for patients, particularly those with known vaccination gaps.”
Alison Hunt, a spokesman for GSK, a UK-based drug manufacturer that manufactures measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine Priorix, said the company is working with “local governments, healthcare providers and public health partners” to increase vaccination rates in the outbreak area.
GSK has enough MMR vaccines for the current outbreak and the company is monitoring the situation to maintain proper supply, Hunt said.
