History of Measles in Timeline

Measles, also known as morbilli, rubeola, 9-day measles, red measles, or English measles, is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the measles virus. It is vaccine-preventable.

1914: Measles Mortality Statistics

In 1914, a statistician for the Prudential Insurance Company estimated that 1% of all deaths in the temperate zone were caused by measles. He also noted that 1–6% of measles cases ended fatally, depending on age, social conditions, and pre-existing health conditions.

1954: Isolation of the Measles Virus

In 1954, John Enders and Thomas C. Peebles isolated the measles virus from a 13-year-old boy from the United States, David Edmonston. They used techniques similar to those used to propagate poliovirus to grow the Edmonston strain, leading to the development of a virus capable of replicating and generating immunity without causing disease.

1963: First Successful Measles Vaccine

In 1963, Maurice Hilleman at Merck used the Edmonston B strain to develop the first successful measles vaccine, which became widely available in the United States.

1968: Improved Measles Vaccine

In 1968, an improved measles vaccine became available.

1971: MMR Vaccine Licensed in the United States

In 1971, the measles vaccine was combined with the mumps and rubella vaccines to create the MMR vaccine, which was licensed for use in the United States.

1991: Measles Outbreak in Philadelphia

In 1991, Philadelphia experienced a measles outbreak centered around the Faith Tabernacle Congregation, a church that discouraged vaccination. Over 1400 people were infected and nine children died.

1992: Measles Cases Reach Highest Number Since 1992

From January to December 2019, 1,282 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 31 states. This is the greatest number of cases reported in the US since 1992.

1997: Measles Caseload

In 1997, the measles caseload in Europe was significantly lower than in 2024, marking a notable point of comparison for the resurgence of the disease.

2000: Measles declared eliminated in the US

As of April 2019, the number of measles cases in the United States was the highest since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

2000: Measles Cases in the United States

By 2000, consistent and widespread childhood vaccination in the United States had reduced measles cases to approximately 1 case per million people.

2001: Measles Cases in the United States

From 2001 to 2011, there were 911 cases of measles in the United States, after it was declared free of the disease in 2000.

2003: Last Measles Fatality in the U.S. prior to 2015

Prior to 2015, the last measles fatality in the U.S. occurred in 2003. In 2015, a woman in Washington state died of pneumonia as a result of measles, marking the first measles-related death in the U.S. since 2003.

2005: MMRV Vaccine Licensed

In 2005, the MMR vaccine was combined with the varicella vaccine to create the MMRV vaccine, which was licensed.

2011: Measles Cases in the United States

From 2001 to 2011, there were 911 cases of measles in the United States, after it was declared free of the disease in 2000.

2011: Stefan Lanka's Measles Challenge

In 2011, German anti-vaccination campaigner Stefan Lanka offered €100,000 for scientific proof that measles is caused by a virus. After David Bardens provided evidence, Lanka refused to accept it, leading to a legal battle where Lanka was ultimately not required to pay the award due to the submitted evidence not meeting his exact requirements. The case received wide international coverage.

December 2014: Disneyland Measles Outbreak Origin

In late December 2014, a measles outbreak, believed to have originated from Disneyland in California, led to 147 infections across seven U.S. states, Mexico, and Canada, primarily affecting unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status. From January 4 to April 2 2015, 70% of 159 cases reported to the CDC were determined to have come from this exposure.

2014: Ohio Measles Outbreak

In 2014, an outbreak of measles began in Ohio when two unvaccinated Amish men returned from missionary work in the Philippines. The outbreak led to 383 cases across nine counties, with 89% occurring in unvaccinated individuals.

2014: CDC Statement on Measles

In 2014, the CDC stated that endemic measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome had not returned to the United States, despite occasional outbreaks caused by imported cases and unvaccinated residents becoming infected abroad.

2014: Vietnamese Measles Epidemic

In the spring of 2014, Vietnam experienced a measles epidemic, with an estimated 8,500 cases and 114 fatalities reported as of April 19. By May 30, there were 21,639 suspected cases and 142 measles-related fatalities.

April 2015: Measles Cases Reported to CDC

From January 4 to April 2, 2015, the CDC reported 159 cases of measles, with 70% linked to an earlier exposure in December 2014.

2015: Measles Fatality in the U.S.

In 2015, a woman in Washington state died of pneumonia as a result of measles, marking the first measles-related death in the U.S. since 2003. The woman was vaccinated but taking immunosuppressive drugs, which weakened her immunity.

2015: First Measles Death Since 2015

On 26 February 2025, the first measles death since 2015 was reported, that of an unvaccinated school-aged child in West Texas.

August 2016: Measles Outbreak in Myanmar

In August 2016, a measles outbreak in the Naga Self-Administered Zone in Myanmar resulted in at least 40 children's deaths due to a lack of vaccination in an area with poor health infrastructure.

2016: Brazil Wins Measles Elimination Certificate

In 2016, Brazil was awarded a measles elimination certificate by the Pan American Health Organization.

2016: Measles Declared Eliminated in the Americas

In 2016, measles was declared eliminated from the Americas due to widespread vaccination efforts.

2016: Measles Interruption in Brazil

The spread of measles had been interrupted in Brazil in 2016, with the last-known case twelve months earlier in the state of Ceará.

June 2017: Measles Case Confirmed in Maine

In June 2017, a case of measles was confirmed in Franklin County, Maine, marking the first case in the state in 20 years.

2017: Measles Cases Return to the Americas

In 2017, after having been declared eliminated in 2016, measles cases reappeared in the Americas.

2017: Measles Cases in New York

In 2017, there were only two cases of measles in New York.

July 2018: Measles Case in Portland, Oregon

In July 2018, a measles case occurred in Portland, Oregon, exposing 500 people, with 40 lacking immunity and being monitored by health officials.

August 2018: Measles outbreaks in Brazil

By August 1, 2018, Brazil had identified two measles outbreaks, one in the state of Amazonas and another in Roraima, in addition to cases in other states, totaling 1,053 confirmed cases. The contagion was mainly related to the importation of the virus from Venezuela.

October 2018: Measles Outbreak in Brooklyn

In October 2018, a measles outbreak began in Brooklyn, New York, resulting in over 200 reported cases by February 2019. The outbreak was linked to the Orthodox Jewish community.

2018: Measles Outbreak

In 2018, a measles outbreak resulted in well beyond 115,000 cases and over 1,200 deaths.

2018: Measles Cases Continue in the Americas

In 2018, measles cases continued to occur in the Americas, following the reintroduction of the disease in 2017 after its elimination in 2016.

2018: Measles Cases in Brooklyn

In 2018, there were 285 cases of measles centred on the Orthodox Jewish areas of Brooklyn.

2018: Measles vaccination rate in Samoa

The measles vaccination rate in Samoa was 31 to 34% in 2018.

February 2019: Brooklyn Measles Outbreak Continues

By February 2019, the measles outbreak that began in Brooklyn in October 2018 had resulted in over 200 reported cases, primarily within the Orthodox Jewish community.

April 2019: New York Declares Public Health Emergency

In April 2019, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency due to a measles outbreak centered on Orthodox Jewish areas of Brooklyn, with 285 cases, and 168 more in Rockland County.

April 2019: Measles Cases Reach Highest Number Since Elimination

As of April 2019, there had been 695 cases of measles reported across 22 states in the U.S., marking the highest number of cases since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

May 2019: Measles Outbreak Among Malaysian Tribe

In May 2019, a measles outbreak among the Malaysian Orang Asli sub-group of Batek people in Kelantan caused 15 deaths from the tribe.

August 2019: Measles Outbreaks in Africa

As of August 2019, measles outbreaks were occurring in Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Sudan.

December 2019: Measles Cases Confirmed in 31 States

From January to December 2019, 1,282 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 31 states across the US. Of these, 128 resulted in hospitalization, and 61 reported complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis.

December 2019: Samoa Vaccination Campaign

In December 2019, a vaccination campaign in Samoa brought the measles vaccination rate to an estimated 94% of the eligible population, following a severe measles outbreak. A state of emergency was declared from 17 November to 7 December.

2019: Measles Outbreak

In 2019, a measles outbreak resulted in nearly 5,000 deaths and 250,000 infections after spreading to all provinces in the country. Most deaths were among children under five years of age, and the World Health Organization (WHO) reported this as the world's largest and fastest-moving epidemic.

2019: Measles Cases Reported in the Americas

In 2019, measles cases were reported again in the Americas, adding to the cases reported in 2017 and 2018, after the elimination of the disease in 2016.

2020: Measles Cases Fall to Pre-Outbreak Levels

Following the end of the 2019 outbreak, reported cases fell to pre-outbreak levels: 13 cases in 2020.

2020: Measles Cases Reported in the Americas

In 2020, measles cases were reported in the Americas, continuing the trend that started in 2017, after the disease was declared eliminated in 2016.

2021: Measles Cases Fall to Pre-Outbreak Levels

Following the end of the 2019 outbreak, reported cases fell to pre-outbreak levels: 49 cases in 2021.

2022: Measles Cases Fall to Pre-Outbreak Levels

Following the end of the 2019 outbreak, reported cases fell to pre-outbreak levels: 121 cases in 2022.

2024: Total Measles Cases for 2024

As of March 2025, the CDC reported that the 483 measles cases recorded already exceeded the entire total number of measles cases in the US for 2024, which was only 285.

2024: Measles cases increase in Europe

In 2024, Europe experienced a significant surge in measles cases, with 127,350 cases reported, the highest since 1997. This figure represented one-third of all global measles cases, with Romania being the epicenter with 30,692 cases.

2024: Measles Outbreak in the Philippines

In 2024, a measles outbreak was declared in the Bangsamoro region in the Philippines with at least 592 cases and 3 deaths.

February 2025: Measles Outbreak and Death in Texas and New Mexico

As of February 2025, a measles outbreak was ongoing among unvaccinated communities in Texas and New Mexico. On February 26, the first measles death since 2015 was reported in West Texas. The confirmed number of cases was 124 as of February 26, mostly in children ages 5–17.

March 2025: Measles Cases in the US Exceed 2024 Total

As of March 2025, the CDC recorded 483 confirmed measles cases across 20 states, with 2 deaths and 70 hospitalizations. This exceeded the entire 2024 total of 285 cases.