On August 18, 2025, Texas state health authorities announced that the measles outbreak, which began in January in an undervaccinated rural Mennonite community, has officially ended. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) confirmed that more than 42 days have passed without any new reported cases, meeting the criterion to declare the outbreak over.
The outbreak resulted in 762 confirmed measles cases across the state, including 99 hospitalizations and two deaths among unvaccinated school-aged children. It was the largest measles outbreak in Texas in over 30 years and contributed to the highest number of cases reported nationwide this year.
Though the outbreak is declared over, the DSHS cautioned that measles remains a serious threat. Given ongoing outbreaks elsewhere in North America and globally, additional measles cases are expected in Texas later this year. The agency is now shifting focus to vaccination efforts to enhance community immunity and prevent future outbreaks.
Measles is an extremely contagious viral disease that can cause complications such as pneumonia and brain inflammation. Vaccination with the MMR vaccine, which is highly effective, remains the best protection.
This announcement comes amid the highest measles incidence in the U.S. in over three decades, with 1,356 confirmed cases nationwide as of early August 2025.