Both countries have reported an increase in measles cases since the beginning of the year 2025. In addition to children, adults are also affected.

Measles is not a benign disease, as the following facts show:

• Hospitalization: about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the United States who get measles are hospitalized.
  
• Pneumonia: as many as 1 out of every 20 children with measles will develop pneumonia, the leading cause of death from measles in young children.
  
• Encephalitis: about 1 in 1,000 children with measles will develop encephalitis, which can cause convulsions and leave the child deaf or intellectually disabled.
  
• Death: nearly 1 to 3 out of every 1000 children infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurological complications.
• Complications during pregnancy: measles can cause pregnant women who have not received the MMR vaccine to give birth prematurely or have a low-birth-weight baby.