Measles Outbreaks Spread Across U.S. as Officials Urge Vaccination

As measles outbreaks spread across the United States, a top Trump administration health official is urging families to protect themselves by getting vaccinated. More than 40 cases have been reported at Ave Maria University in southwest Florida, making it one of the largest measles outbreaks recorded on a U.S. college campus, while North Carolina has reported 18 cases since December.

"Take the vaccine, please," Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said during an interview. "We have a solution for our problem." The plea from Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, was the most forceful yet for vaccination from an administration that has repeatedly expressed skepticism about vaccine safety and effectiveness.

The outbreak at Ave Maria University is raising new concerns about how quickly the virus can spread. Experts say the situation shows how measles, once mostly seen in kids, is becoming a growing threat for college students who are not vaccinated. Other campuses across the country have faced similar scares this year. In January, more than 80 students at Clemson University and Anderson University in South Carolina were quarantined after measles exposures. This month, about 4,000 people at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were notified of possible exposure, and students at the University of Florida were alerted after cases were linked to two classrooms.

Most colleges require proof of measles vaccination, which is usually given as part of the MMR shot that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. However, many schools allow students to opt out for religious or personal reasons. Ave Maria University asks its students to show proof of measles vaccination but allows exemptions under Florida law if students sign a waiver acknowledging the risks. The school says most people on campus are vaccinated, though it has not released exact numbers.

In North Carolina, health officials are warning residents about possible measles exposure after infected people visited stores, gyms and restaurants in and around the state capital over the past week. The exposures were reported in Wake, Durham and Johnston counties. Statewide, 18 measles cases have been reported since December. Nearly three-quarters of the cases (72%) involved people who were not vaccinated, and most were younger than 18. One child was hospitalized in Nash County, east of Raleigh.

In Wake County, a person visiting from South Carolina who had measles visited five locations in Raleigh's Brier Creek area on Feb. 5, including a gym, two grocery stores, a pharmacy and a restaurant. In Durham County, officials reported that someone with measles visited three businesses on Feb. 6, including a thrift store and a restaurant. In Johnston County, a patient with measles went to the emergency department at UNC Health Johnston. It was the county's first measles case since 2018.

The outbreak comes as measles cases climb nationwide. Last year, the U.S. recorded 2,280 confirmed cases, the most since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. More than 700 cases have already been reported this year, with large clusters attributed to South Carolina and Florida.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known. "Even just being in the same room as someone who up to two hours earlier was there with the measles, you can contract the virus," Rebecca Kaufman, Wake County public health director, said. Unlike some other viruses, measles almost always infects unvaccinated people who are exposed. "There's a 90% chance that an unvaccinated person exposed to measles will get it," Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, explained.

Measles can cause high fever, cough and rash. In serious cases, it can lead to pneumonia, long-term immune damage or death, especially in young kids. "One out of three children less than 5 years of age will be hospitalized from some complication with measles. Pneumonia can happen in 1 out of 20 unvaccinated children," Dr. Bridget Fogelman, a pediatrician at Asheville Children's Medical Center, said. Public health leaders say young children, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems face the highest risk of serious illness.

Doctors stress that measles is preventable. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at stopping infection. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the MMR vaccine for anyone over age 1. In some higher-risk situations, babies as young as 6 months can safely receive it.

Oz stressed that Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover the measles vaccine, and that access will not be restricted. "There will never be a barrier to Americans get access to the measles vaccine. And it is part of the core schedule," he said. Measles outbreaks have been reported in several states, including South Carolina, where hundreds of cases have been confirmed. Additional outbreaks have been identified along the Utah-Arizona border, with smaller clusters popping up elsewhere in the country.

Measles outbreaks have mostly affected children. Vaccination rates have declined in recent years, federal data shows, while the number of children receiving vaccine exemptions has reached a record high. At the same time, diseases that vaccines can prevent, including measles and whooping cough, are becoming more common.

Before the measles vaccine became available in the 1960s, nearly all children got measles. About 450 people died from the disease each year, but survivors gained lifelong immunity early in life. Today's college students grew up during a far different time. Thanks to widespread childhood vaccination, many were never exposed to measles, and some were never vaccinated. "We are now starting to see a group of individuals in their early 20s who are not protected," Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, said. "They never had measles, they've never been vaccinated, and they're in large enough numbers that we're going to start seeing more outbreaks."

Even small drops in vaccination rates can make a community vulnerable. College campuses are an "ideal" place for viruses like measles to spread, Dr. Jonathan Temte, a former chair of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s vaccine advisory committee, said. While vaccinated people are far less likely to get sick, measles can still infect some whose immunity has weakened over time, though this is uncommon. Colleges across the country are now reviewing vaccination records and updating outbreak plans in case more exposures occur. Some are also considering stricter vaccine rules.

Measles symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after exposure, but can appear up to 21 days later. Early signs include high fever (sometimes over 104 degrees), cough and runny nose, red, watery eyes, white spots inside the mouth, and a red, blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads. Anyone with symptoms should call ahead before visiting a doctor or hospital to avoid spreading the virus.

Public health experts warn that unless vaccination rates improve, college campuses may continue to see outbreaks that cause quarantines and put vulnerable students at risk.