Measles Outbreaks in the US Continue to Grow
The US has recently added 53 more measles cases to the current total, largely fueled by outbreaks in 3 states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that the number of confirmed US measles cases has now increased to 2,065. That is largely due to outbreaks in three states: Arizona, South Carolina, and Utah, although there are currently outbreaks in 44 different states.
While the US had come close to eliminating measles, falling vaccination rates have left the nation at risk of losing its measles elimination status. Most cases in South Carolina, for example, have occurred in unvaccinated households. Activity in Utah is at its highest in over thirty years, and cases are continuously rising. In 2025, the CDC confirmed 49 outbreaks, while only 16 outbreaks were reported in 2024.
Maternal Syphilis Rises Dramatically in Mississippi
Another infectious disease that had been nearly eliminated but is now experiencing a resurgence is syphilis. But there are no longer any clinics in Mississippi that aim to prevent sexually transmitted infections in that state, and cases of syphilis are surging there.
Cases of maternal syphilis rates have been on the rise in the United States in general; from 2016 to 2022, cases tripled to reach 280.4 per 100,000 births in 2022, according to data from the CDC.
But in Mississippi, from 2013 to 2023, the rate of maternal syphilis infections exploded over 1,000%. Once occurring at a rate of 86 cases per 100,000 births, in 2023 that rate had grown to 1,016 cases per 100,000 births. Infants can contract the disease during delivery to cause what’s known as congenital syphilis, and rates of that disease have risen accordingly, increasing to 4,000 in 2024, according to the CDC.
Maternal syphilis causes death in 40% of infants who are exposed, or it leads to very serious health problems in infant survivors.
These diseases, which are horrible and preventable, reflect serious failures in public health systems, said Thomas Dobbs, MD, MPH, an infectious diseases specialist and dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Lassa Fever Outbreak in Nigeria Outpaces Previous Years
Lassa fever, which is caused by Lassa virus and spreads through contact with infected urine or droppings from rodents, is endemic in West Africa. It can also spread through contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids.
There has been an increase in Lassa fever cases in Nigeria recently. In 2025, there were over 9,000 confirmed cases, and almost 20% of affected people have died. This is an increase in mortality since 2024.
