
The Vermont Department of Health has said a school-aged child in Lamoille County is confirmed to have measles, the first case in 2025.
“The child became sick after returning with their family from traveling internationally in recent days,” the department said in a statement. “The risk to the public is believed to be low, as the child has been isolated from most community settings while they have been contagious. Investigation is ongoing.”
While the United States is currently reporting large outbreaks of measles in West Texas and surrounding areas, Europe is also seeing surging case counts. A new analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF found that 2024 had the highest measles case count since 1997.
Highest measles case count in Europe since 1997
Last year, European countries reported 127,350 measles cases, with children under the age of 5 accounting for 40% of cases. More than half of the reported cases required hospitalization, the WHO said.
Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call.
“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call. Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security. As we shape our new regional health strategy for Europe and central Asia, we cannot afford to lose ground. Every country must step up efforts to reach under-vaccinated communities,” said Hans Henri P. Kluge, MD, the WHO Regional Director for Europe. “The measles virus never rests—neither can we.”
In 2016, the European region reported only 4,440 cases. But as pandemic-era disruptions dropped vaccine rates, the virus has resurged, the WHO said.
Romania, where less than 80% of eligible kids have been vaccinated against measles, has the highest count of 30,692 cases.