Measles Outbreak Forces Quarantine of Hundreds of Students!

2025-05-10 06:00:55.282

Measles cases continue to accumulate in the United States, making 2025 the second-worst year since the disease was declared eliminated a quarter-century ago. A recent outbreak in Williams County, North Dakota, has resulted in the quarantine of approximately 200 unvaccinated students. Nine measles cases have been reported in North Dakota this year, prompting local health officials to enforce a law mandating a 21-day quarantine for unvaccinated students exposed to the virus. The Williston Basin School District No. 7 informed families of 188 unvaccinated students about the quarantine. The district nurse coordinator emphasized the importance of vaccination and the potential disruption caused by vaccine-preventable diseases. As of the latest count, there have been at least 1,018 measles cases reported in the US in 2025, with the majority linked to an outbreak in West Texas that has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, and possibly Kansas. Texas has reported 709 cases, New Mexico 71, Oklahoma 17, and Kansas 48. Experts believe these numbers significantly underrepresent the actual case count. The year 2019 was the only other year with over 1,000 cases since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. This year, 126 people have been hospitalized (about 13% of cases), and three deaths have been confirmed. The vast majority of cases involve unvaccinated individuals, with only about 4% occurring in those who received one or two doses of the MMR vaccine. A total of 14 outbreaks have been reported across 30 states.