Measles is making a comeback: Can we stop it?

September 3, 2025
By Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

... In the US, widespread vaccination halted the ongoing spread of measles more than 20 years ago, a major public health achievement. Before an effective vaccine was developed in the 1960s, nearly every child in the US got measles. Complications like measles-related pneumonia or hearing loss were common, and 400 to 500 people died each year ...

... It’s estimated that when 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, both those individuals and others in their community are protected against measles ...

... Only 4% of the recent cases in the US involved people known to be fully vaccinated ...

A host of complications can develop, including

• brain inflammation (encephalitis), which can lead to seizures, hearing loss, or intellectual disability
• pmeumonia
• eye inflammation (and occasionally, vision loss)
• poor pregnancy outcomes, such as miscarriage
• subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a rare and lethal disease of the brain that can develop years after the initial measles infection ...

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/measles-is-making-a-comeback-can-we-stop-it-202503063091