The current measles outbreak has gripped US states like Texas and New Mexico leaving people worried whether it would become a new pandemic. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services as of February 21, 90 cases were diagnosed in the last month in the South Plains area, with at least 77 of them were reported in children and teens under 17.

Measles is highly contagious and can be deadly. The outbreak, which started spreading in late January, has resulted in multiple hospitalizations, with at least nine confirmed cases and three probable cases as of early February. Health officials caution that at least one in five infected individuals will have to be hospitalized, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Misinformation surrounding vaccines and with the new Trump administration anti-vaccine campaigs, has causing parents to hesitate or refuse vaccination.

Furthermore, the country down under Australia is also witnessing a surge in measles cases as health officials in Sydney have issued an urgent alert, urging residents to watch for measles symptoms after an infected individual visited several places in Sydney over the last seven days.

Authorities report that the traveller had returned from South East Asia where there are ongoing outbreaks of measles.

What Are The Symptoms Measles?

Key symptoms of measles include fever, a runny nose, sore eyes, and a cough. Typically, a red, blotchy rash appears three to four days later, spreading from the head down to the body. Symptoms can manifest between 7 and 18 days after exposure.

Anyone who experiences these symptoms after potential exposure should immediately contact their doctor or emergency department. It is crucial to call ahead before visiting to avoid potentially exposing others in the waiting room. Dr. Selvey also highlighted that ongoing measles outbreaks are occurring in various parts of the world, making awareness and prompt action essential.

Why It Is Important To Get Vaccinated?

According to CDC everyone should get the MMR vaccine. It protects you from measles, mumps, and rubella. Getting vaccinated helps stop these diseases from spreading. There are two safe MMR vaccines available. They work the same way, so it doesn't matter which one you get. Kids can also get a shot that protects against chickenpox too, but this is only for children.

Who Should Get Vaccinated?

Kids Need Two Shots

All children should get two MMR shots. The first shot should be given when they are between 12 and 15 months old. The second shot should be given when they are between 4 and 6 years old. If needed, the second shot can be given earlier, but it must be at least 28 days after the first shot.

College Students Need to Be Protected

Students going to college or other schools after high school, need two shots if they are not already immune. The shots must be at least 28 days apart.

Adults Need at Least One Shot

Most adults need at least one MMR shot. Some adults need two shots, especially those who work in healthcare, travel a lot, or go to college. These people should get two shots, with 28 days between them.

Travelers Need to Be Extra Careful

Anyone traveling to other countries should make sure they are protected. Babies 6 to 11 months old should get one shot before traveling. Kids 12 months and older, teens, and adults need two shots, with 28 days between them.

Healthcare Workers Must Be Immune

People who work in healthcare should have proof that they are immune to measles, mumps, and rubella. If they are not immune, they need two MMR shots, spaced 28 days apart.

Women Thinking About Having Babies

Women who might get pregnant should talk to their doctor about the MMR vaccine. It's safe to get the shot while breastfeeding.

A team of US researchers has developed an unconventional surveillance tool: a 3D-printed “mosquito toilet” that collects mosquito waste for genetic analysis.

The approach detected a complete West Nile virus genome and the first known evidence of a Hedwig-like virus in the Americas, along with several viruses that may be new to science and parasites.

Researchers from the Rutgers University adapted an approach used to track genetic evidence in wastewater, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and for polio surveillance, to mosquitoes.

How Does The Mosquito ‘Toilet’ Work?

The team built what it called “a mosquito toilet” — a 3D-printed funnel coated with a superhydrophobic (water-repelling) material that causes liquid to bead up and slide into a collection tube, explained lead author and entomologist Dana Price from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

The researchers collected two groups of 50 wild Culex mosquitoes from a yard in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 2021 and 2022. They placed each group in a screened container over the funnel and fed them a sugar solution. The mosquitoes produced drops of waste, which slid into a tube.

The scientists used shotgun metagenomic sequencing, which sequences all genetic material present in a mixed sample. Computers then assembled the millions of fragments generated and compared them with known sequences in scientific databases.

What Did The Mosquito Waste Reveal?

The team captured tiny traces of mosquito waste and conducted genetic sequencing.

The findings, published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum, revealed:

• A complete West Nile virus genome
• The first known evidence of a Hedwig-like virus in the Americas
• Several viruses that may be new to science
• Parasites
• The mosquito species that deposited the waste droplets

The study suggests mosquito waste could become a surveillance tool, allowing scientists to search broadly for familiar pathogens as well as threats they don't yet know exist, Price said.

Mosquitoes excrete small amounts of liquid containing genetic traces of viruses and other organisms. Because the waste contains far less mosquito tissue, and therefore less mosquito DNA, than a crushed insect, the scientists reasoned that viral material might be easier to find.

A Full West Nile Virus Genome

The 2022 sample contained a complete, high-quality genome of West Nile virus, which can cause serious neurological illness in people.

The researchers identified the virus as belonging to the NY07 genetic variant previously found in the region. Such detail could help scientists track how genetic variants of a virus emerge, spread and change.

"What came out was an entire viral genome," Price said. "Rather than just positive or negative, we have genetic data."

An Unexpected Virus In The Americas

The researchers were even more intrigued by evidence of a Hedwig-like virus, which hadn't previously been reported in the Americas.

Hedwig virus was first identified in Europe in snowy owl tissue, prompting scientists to name it after Harry Potter's famous white owl. Some of the infected birds also had West Nile virus.

Scientists don't know whether Hedwig-like viruses make birds sick, facilitate West Nile infections or simply coexist with other viruses.

The finding doesn't establish that the virus is a threat, Price said. It shows that it has been circulating where no one knew to search for it.

"We didn't even look for it specifically," Price said. "We just looked for everything, and we found Hedwig in there."

A virus found for the first time in a region may have recently arrived or may have gone unnoticed for years. Because few broad mosquito-virus studies have been conducted in North America, organisms that seem geographically restricted may prove widespread.

Price is currently working with health officials at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to screen organ and tissue samples for the virus. The samples are collected from deceased birds during a postmortem examination.

Chile has become the first country in South America to eliminate dog-transmitted rabies as a public health problem, marking a major milestone in the fight against a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

The achievement follows more than five decades without a human case of rabies transmitted by dogs, supported by sustained dog vaccination, disease surveillance and timely access to post-exposure treatment.

“I congratulate the government and people of Chile on this historic achievement,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“This validation reflects decades of commitment to protecting communities from rabies and demonstrates the impact of sustained investment in public health. Chile’s success offers valuable lessons for countries working to end human deaths from this preventable disease,” he added.

How Chile Eliminated Dog-Transmitted Rabies

Also read: Bhutan Eliminates Rabies While India Battles Persistent Deaths: What Can India Learn From Its Neighbor?'

WHO recognizes elimination when transmission among dogs has stopped, no human deaths from dog-mediated rabies have occurred for at least two years, and the country can prevent the disease from returning.

Chile’s last reported case of human rabies transmitted by dogs occurred in 1972.

Since then, the country has sustained efforts including timely vaccination for people exposed to the virus through bites, scratches or contact with saliva from infected or suspected rabid dogs.

These efforts were supported by:

• Door-to-door dog vaccination campaigns
• Targeted dog population management
• Community awareness and education
• Free mass vaccination for dogs and cats
• Epidemiological surveillance
• Strengthened laboratory diagnosis
• Monitoring of rabies virus in animals
• Timely access to post-exposure prophylaxis.

More recently, Chile has expanded preventive vaccination and surveillance to border areas at higher risk of rabies reintroduction.

What Chile’s Success Teaches

Chile’s achievement builds on decades of coordinated action across the Americas, where human cases of dog-mediated rabies have fallen by more than 98% since 1983.

It also contributes to the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) Disease Elimination Initiative, which aims to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030.

While the Americas has made significant progress, dog-transmitted rabies still causes tens of thousands of deaths globally each year, primarily in Asia and Africa.

Chile’s success shows how sustained investment in prevention, surveillance and access to care can bring this deadly but preventable disease to the point of elimination.

It also highlights the value of the One Health approach, bringing together human, animal and environmental health sectors to prevent and control diseases that spread between animals and people.

Read More: US CDC Warns Of Rising Human Rabies Exposure Risk: How To Stay Safe

What Is Rabies?

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable zoonotic disease that is almost invariably fatal once symptoms appear. However, deaths can be prevented through timely post-exposure prophylaxis, including wound care and vaccination.

Dogs account for up to 99% of human rabies transmissions globally.

Public education on dog behavior, bite prevention, appropriate action after a bite or scratch, and responsible pet ownership is also essential to rabies prevention.

Rabies is also one of 21 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which affect one billion people globally. As of September 2026, 65 countries had eliminated at least one NTD, including seven in the Americas.

Chile’s validation for rabies marks its second NTD elimination achievement; earlier this year, it was verified by WHO for the elimination of leprosy, becoming the first country in the Americas to achieve this target.

Even as the US and countries across Europe and Asia report a rise in measles cases, Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said that eradicating measles is currently impossible.

The reason? Vaccine hesitancy, particularly in wealthy countries such as the US, Gates said, according to Reuters.

“At one point, the Gates Foundation wanted to eradicate measles, but the vaccine hesitancy in rich countries has meant that’s not on our list of goals,” Gates said. “I think that’s kind of tragic.”

How Big Is The Measles Outbreak In The US?

Also read: Pennsylvania Reports 3rd Measles-Related Death; 40-Year-Old Dies As Outbreak Spreads Across 37 Counties

According to the CDC, 3,294 confirmed measles cases have been reported in the US so far in 2026.

There have also been 38 new outbreaks reported this year, with 95% of confirmed cases associated with outbreaks — 1,748 cases from outbreaks that started in 2026 and 1,375 from outbreaks that started in 2025.

For comparison, 2,289 confirmed measles cases were reported in the US during the entire year of 2025.

So far this year, three deaths — two babies and one adult — have been reported from Pennsylvania, one of the worst-hit states. The state has also reported four measles cases among people who were fully vaccinated this year.

Measles can be prevented by vaccination. However, the anti-vaccine stance promoted by the Trump-led US government and HHS Secretary RFK Jr. are resulting in spiraling cases. More recently, Trump also announced a split of the MMR vaccine, which experts warn can have consequences.

Measles was considered eliminated in the US since 2000, but the Pan American Health Organization is expected to decide in November whether the US has lost its elimination status.

How Effective Is The MMR Vaccine?

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended for children. The first dose is given at 12-15 months, followed by a second dose between 4-6 years.

Two doses of the measles vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles. However, breakthrough infections can still occur.

Among people who have received one dose of the vaccine, about seven out of 100 may develop measles after exposure, according to the CDC.

The measles vaccine is safe for most people. However, people with certain medical conditions, including a weakened immune system, may need to take additional precautions.

An infected person can spread the virus to around nine out of 10 unvaccinated people who are exposed. Measles can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, brain inflammation and death.

Read More: Donald Trump Signs Order To Split MMR Vaccine: Is It Safe For Children?

Global Measles Rise

Measles is one of the world's most contagious diseases and can cause high fever, cough and a characteristic rash.

The WHO estimates that 95,000 people died from measles globally in 2024, despite vaccination having prevented an estimated 59 million deaths since 2000.

The WHO says vaccination coverage needs to remain above 95% to prevent outbreaks.

Recent years have also seen a surge in measles cases in countries where the disease had become rare, including the US and parts of Europe, as vaccination coverage has fallen.

Bangladesh Battles Major Measles Outbreak

Bangladesh was once close to eliminating measles but is now battling one of the world's largest measles outbreaks.

According to Bangladesh health ministry data, 1,022 deaths have been associated with the outbreak, including 100 laboratory-confirmed measles fatalities.

More than 166,000 suspected cases have been reported, including nearly 20,000 laboratory-confirmed infections. More than 146,000 suspected patients have also been hospitalized.