Unvaccinated children are becoming unvaccinated adults, who are at risk of dangerous complications.
—
Updated at 12 p.m. on April 7, 2025
The current U.S. measles outbreak follows, in some ways, a classic pattern: The virus first found a foothold where childhood vaccination is low—among Mennonites in Texas, in this case—before rapidly spreading to other communities and states. It has sickened mostly children and has now killed a second child, whose death was reported this weekend. With cases still ticking up, experts expect the outbreak to persist for a year.
Lookcloselyattheoutbreak’sedges,though,andthepatternsaremoreunusual:It’snotjustchildrengettingmeasles.WhereTexas’soutbreakhasspilledoverintoNewMexico,forexample,halfoftheconfirmedcasesandonepotentialdeathinvolveadults,largelyunvaccinated.Lastyear,too,adultsolderthan20accountedformorethanaquarterofU.S.measlescases.Thisisallinkeepingwithwhatexpertshavewarned:Adultsarenowsusceptibletothischildhooddisease.
Doctorstendtobeunfamiliarwithadultmeasles,becauseadultsusedtonotgetit.Intheprevaccineera,theextremely
