Measles cases throughout the U.S. are on the rise — but Southern California is faring better than other states.
Nationally speaking, more cases have been reported halfway through 2025 than any other year since the disease was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000.
In California, 17 cases have been reported thus far in 2025. In 2024, the California Department of Public Health reported only 15 cases throughout the entire year.
Together, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have reported eight of those cases this year. However, the data only covers the first half of the year, so cases in each county may still surpass last yearÃÛèÖÊÓƵ totals.
Los Angeles County has reported six cases since January 2025. Four are residents who have traveled internationally or to domestic areas experiencing a transmission of measles.
In 2024, there were seven total cases in L.A. County, four of which involved individuals traveling through LAX while infectious, and only one case was a resident of the county.
Riverside County reported one case in April from an adult resident who traveled internationally. This was the first case in Riverside since 2018.
Orange County reported one case in February from an infant returning home after international travel. In 2024, Orange County reported two unrelated cases: an infant returning home from international travel and an adult who traveled internationally.
San Bernardino County has reported no cases in 2025. Its last measles case was in December 2023, said Francis Delapaz, a spokesperson for the countyÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Department of Public Health.
Almost all of the cases reported in Southern California have been a result of international or domestic travel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that unvaccinated travelers receive both doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine at least two weeks before international travel. Receiving two doses of the vaccine provides 97% protection against measles, whereas one dose provides 93%, according to the CDC.
There have been 27 measles outbreaks — defined by the CDC as three or more related cases — throughout the U.S. so far this year. There are no active measles outbreaks in California, according to the CDC.
The increase in cases is concentrated in the southwest, stemming from an outbreak in West Texas, according to the CDC. Texas has reported 753 cases so far this year, many affecting unvaccinated school children, according to the CDC.
There were only 285 total cases of measles in 2024 in the U.S. This year, the number of cases has hit 1,288 as of July 9.
The CDC reports that measles is on the rise due to a global increase in the viral infection, which can lead to unvaccinated travelers bringing the disease home with them, and a decrease in kindergarten-aged children receiving the MMR vaccine.
California is one of 11 states above the 95% target of vaccinated kindergarteners. Most Southern California counties were above the 95% threshold, according to a 2023-2024 report by the California Department of Public Health.
Riverside County reported that almost 96% of children entering kindergarten were fully vaccinated. LA County and Orange County reported over 97% of kindergarteners were vaccinated.
San Bernardino County was below the target percentage, with only 93.5% of kindergarteners fully vaccinated in 2024.
In 2025, more than a third of all measles cases are amongst people aged 5-19. And 92% of all cases are people who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.
So far, there have been 162 hospitalizations due to measles this year, and three confirmed deaths — two children and one adult — none of whom had the MMR vaccine. The deaths occurred in Texas and New Mexico, the two states with the highest number of measles cases.
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