With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Rise in measles cases worsens over summer
James Tatum, 11, right, receives a vaccination shot that included a polio dose from nurse Frances Findley at the Dallas County Health and Human Services immunization clinic in Dallas, Friday, April 4, 2025.
(
LM Otero
/
AP Photo
)
Measles cases in the U.S. have risen to the worst in 33 years, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC recorded 1,288 confirmed measles cases on Wednesday, 14 more than in 2019, when multiple outbreaks caused the U.S. to lose its status of having eliminated the illness. Three people have died, including two children in Texas, and dozens have been hospitalized across the country.
As of July 7, California has had 17 confirmed measles cases, already surpassing total cases for 2024 and 2023, only halfway through the year. However, cases remain below the 73 confirmed measles cases and six outbreaks in 2019 in California.
The federal government said the CDC “continues to recommend (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines as the best way to protect against measles,” and that the department is “supporting community efforts” to tamp down ongoing outbreaks in Texas, New Mexico and Kansas. Climbing infection rates come as some of the country’s leading medical associations sue Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleging an effort to undermine public trust in vaccines.
Sponsored message
-
Some competitions are scheduled around the summer heat. -
Our region has no shortage of great, weird and quirky ads over the decades to pick from. -
California has made a new grade, transitional kindergarten, available for all four-year-olds. LAist reporters spent a day in three schools to find out what students do in class.
Measles is preventable by the widely available measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which is safe and 97% effective at prevention after two doses. Vaccine hesitancy drives recent drops in childhood vaccination, with CDC data showing only 92.7% of kindergarteners in the U.S. were vaccinated in the 2023-2024 school year, below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks.
While California’s childhood immunization rates are higher than the rest of the country, 16 counties have
fallen below
the threshold for herd immunity against measles, according to the California Department of Public Health. Last year, 96.2% of California kindergartners and transitional kindergartners were vaccinated against measles in the 2023-24 school year, down from 96.5% the year before.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
