Twenty-five years ago, the World Health Organization and U.S. officials celebrated a WHO declaration that a highly successful vaccination program had officially eliminated measles

The U.S. registered its first death from measles since 2015 this week, as a child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas. Normally, most U.S.

"If the U.S. withdraws from the WHO, there is more of a chance of outbreaks of diseases like polio and measles," said Dr. Vidhya Prakash, associate dean of clinical affairs and population health and chief medical officer at SIU Medicine in Springfield.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 10.3 million people were infected with measles in 2023.

In a news release, The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed the first death from a measles outbreak in West Texas. According to the agency the case was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized in Lubbock.

Before the measles vaccine, there were over 30 million cases of the disease worldwide each year.

Thanks to the introduction of a vaccine in 1963, measles was considered eliminated in the US in 2000. Yet the highly contagious disease has reemerged as a threat as declining vaccination rates have fueled outbreaks around the country.

The U.S. registered its first death from measles since 2015 this week, as a child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas.

The U.S. recorded its first measles death in a decade this week as the largest outbreak of the disease in Texas in 30 years has spread. Why it matters: The outbreak comes at a time of dropping vaccination rates and declining trust in public health institutions.

The US has reported its first measles death since 2015 during an outbreak in Texas, highlighting global concerns over declining measles vaccination rates post-COVID-19. Lower vaccination rates have sparked increased cases in several regions,

While there are usually cases and even minor outbreaks reported yearly, the 2025 outbreak is on track to be the largest in six years.

The deadly return measles highlights growing gaps in immunization coverage across the US and globally, raising concerns among health officials.