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US measles epidemic.

There has recently been an outbreak in Japan too. Most of the cases (10 of about 14 nationwide last I heard) are in Kanagawa prefecture where I live. Heard this from my wife. It's not clear exactly how it started. The incubation period is 10 to 12 days typically, so if someone brought it from overseas they could be out of the country before the outbreak shows up.

Not much English language news about it but I did find one story:
japantoday.com

Boy with measles visited Osaka Expo; officials urge caution

A boy from Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo who tested positive for measles visited the World Exposition in Osaka on June 21, local governments said Saturday, urging other visitors to exercise caution due to possible exposure. The local governments said the boy, identified only as being between...
japantoday.com japantoday.com

Details such as whether he had been vaccinated are lacking.
 
I had measles at age 11 and it almost killed me or left me insane. I had a high temperature of 105 degrees, to the point where they were giving me alcohol rubs to try to cool me down. When the fever actually broke, the hallucinations began, which I can remember as clear as day. Our neighbors were cutting down our trees, my carpet was filled with fishhooks, there was a lion in my bedroom, which I cunningly tried to evade by jumping into the other bed. Only there was just the one bed. The next day I began to come out of it--at one point I said, "Hi, Uncle Dick!" and my mom responded with "Now you know Uncle Dick's not here," (he was about 300 miles away). I said, "Yeah, he's in Syracuse, but I see him." Next day 100% back to normal as far as I can tell.

And in my childhood, I was always the one that didn't get sick compared to other kids.
 
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Brainster said:
I had measles at age 11 and it almost killed me or left me insane. I had a high temperature of 105 degrees, to the point where they were giving me alcohol rubs to try to cool me down. When the fever actually broke, the hallucinations began, which I can remember as clear as day. Our neighbors were cutting down our trees, my carpet was filled with fishhooks, there was a lion in my bedroom, which I cunningly tried to evade by jumping into the other bed. Only there was just the one bed. The next day I began to come out of it--at one point I said, "Hi, Uncle Dick!" and my mom responded with "Now you know Uncle Dick's not here," (he was about 300 miles away). I said, "Yeah, he's in Syracuse, but I see him." Next day 100% back to normal as far as I can tell.

And in my childhood, I was always the one that didn't get sick compared to other kids.
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Yeah, and? Are you claiming that vaccines don’t work, or that you now have some immunity from other diseases? This post adds nothing to this thread.
 
lionking said:
Yeah, and? Are you claiming that vaccines don’t work, or that you now have some immunity from other diseases? This post adds nothing to this thread.
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I also remember having measles when I was 9-10, two horrible weeks of high fever and hallucinations, and having my eyesight and hearing affected afterwards. It certainly also affected my opinion about the parents who would knowledgeably inflict it to their children instead of the very mild discomfort of vaccination !
 
lionking said:
Yeah, and? Are you claiming that vaccines don’t work, or that you now have some immunity from other diseases? This post adds nothing to this thread.
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How did you get that from what I said? As catsmate said, it was to point out what a terribly dangerous disease measles is, so getting the MMR is 100% what I'd recommend to anybody. As far as I'm concerned the anti-vaxxers are dangerous idiots, and unfortunately one right now is in charge of HHS.
 
Flo said:
I also remember having measles when I was 9-10, two horrible weeks of high fever and hallucinations, and having my eyesight and hearing affected afterwards. It certainly also affected my opinion about the parents who would knowledgeably inflict it to their children instead of the very mild discomfort of vaccination !
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When I had measles, aged 6 or 7, I spent over a month in hospital. I didn't die - I got better - but cannot for the life (which I am quite happy about still having) of me understand why you would not want to spare your kid from potentially being that ill. And yes, my immune system was not the best, but with children, you are often unaware of such underlying complications until they catch measles, for instance. And then it may be too late. And as you say, Flo, why not spare your kid a week or two of very real discomfort, even if it isn't a question of life or death? I may have been a weird child, but I much preferred being full of energy and having fun with my friends, instead of being feverish and achy, and too tired even for eating ice cream at times.
 
novaphile said:
Probably worth repeating...

Measles can cause immunity amnesia, which means that you can lose your resistance to other things, that you were exposed to in the past.
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Yea, it's a weird little bastard of a virus.
 
The more I learn about the supposedly innocent childhood diseases, the happier I feel about vaccines. I've managed several international aid projects for Swedish disability rights organisations (Association of the Swedish Deafblind, and the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired), and many of the people I worked with were disabled because of those diseases here in Sweden, but even more so in the countries we collaborated with (some in Africa, a few in Latin America, and Vietnam). Rubella was at the top of the list, beating measles at the finish line. In countries with little or no access to good health care, childhood diseases kill and maim children on a daily basis, and without the vaccines, we’d be back in a similar situation in the wealthy West as well. And it is hard to provide decent health care when the resources are used to care for kids with very preventable diseases. It also makes it that much more difficult for those with far less major problems to get the help, care and rehab that would make life easier for them.

Sorry, bit of a rant, and mostly preaching to the choir, but this makes me so angry and frustrated - deafblindness in particular is hard as hell to navigate in the Western world, even in countries where you can easily access assistance of many kinds without going bankrupt (I am staring at you, USA), but in Kenya? In Colombia? In Vietnam? It’s nearly impossible. But the numbers are drastically reduced if the vaccines are made accessible, and free. So risking the potentially disabling consequences if you don't have to should not even be a topic for discussion. Or so one would have thought. But here we are, alas.
 
🇨🇦 & 🇺🇸:
Canada is poised to lose its measles elimination status — and the US could, too (CNN, Oct 27, 2025)
Monday marks a full year of continuous measles transmission in Canada, a milestone that’s poised to set the country back decades on a global health commitment. Ongoing transmission in the United States puts it among a group of countries that also face scrutiny from international leaders and are at risk of a similar fate.
All of the World Health Organization’s regions have committed to eliminate measles by 2030, defined by the absence of local virus transmission for any period longer than 12 months. Canada achieved this goal in 1998, but falling vaccination rates set the stage for cases to grow into a massive — and ongoing — outbreak, putting the country and region at risk of losing elimination status.
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Measles outbreaks across the US continue to add to record case count (CNN Oct 10, 2025)
A deadly measles outbreak in Texas ended in August, but outbreaks in other parts of the United States continue to add hundreds of new measles cases to this year’s record national total.
There have been an average of 27 new measles cases reported each week since the end of August, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The annual total – now up to 1,563 cases since January – is the highest by a significant margin since measles was declared eliminated in the US a quarter-century ago.
There’s a new outbreak in Ohio, a recent surge in cases in Minnesota and more than 150 unvaccinated schoolchildren in South Carolina are in quarantine because of an ongoing outbreak there.
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US measles cases top 1,600 as South Carolina outbreak grows (CIDRAP, Oct 22, 2025)
Of the 1,618 measles cases in the United States, 87% are part of 43 outbreaks of three or more related cases.
"For comparison, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024, and 69% of cases (198 of 285) were outbreak-associated," the CDC said.
Twelve percent of cases this year have required hospitalization (198 of 1,618), including 95 children under the age of 5 years. Three people have died from measles.
Ninety-two percent of cases in the United States are in unvaccinated people or those whose vaccine status isn't known.
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To quote the CDC.
As of October 21, 2025, a total of 1,618 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States. Among these, 1,595 measles cases were reported by 42 jurisdictions: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. A total of 23 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the U.S.

There have been 43 outbreaks reported in 2025, and 87% of confirmed cases (1,401 of 1,618) are outbreak-associated. For comparison, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024 and 69% of cases (198 of 285) were outbreak-associated.
 
Measles spreading beyond the center of the Utah-Arizona outbreak (NBC News, Oct 23, 2025)
The nation's second-largest measles outbreak this year is spreading beyond its epicenter along the Utah-Arizona border.
Most of the known measles cases — 123 as of Wednesday — are linked to a tight-knit community of twin towns: Colorado City, in Mohave County, Arizona, and Hildale, which is in Washington County, Utah. Within the past few weeks, there have been three cases in nearby, larger towns, such as Hurricane and St. George, Utah. Those exposures occurred in hospital and urgent care settings, according to the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.
There is no discernible border; residents live, work and worship interchangeably between the two towns.
Many of the clusters started in schools, said David Heaton, public information officer for the health department. "But now we have community spread," he said.
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MAGA Senator Slammed for Measles Comment, "Who Do You Think Should Die?" (NewsBreak, Oct 28, 2025)
U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) amplified a news report about a U.S. measles outbreak spreading beyond its Utah-Arizona epicenter this week. The Senator took aim at the vaccine skepticism of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for allegedly contributing to a preventable but escalating health crisis and a nationwide drop in vaccination rates.
On social media, Markey wrote: “Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. RFK Jr. must resign.”
(...)
MAGA-aligned U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), who represents the 3.4 million people in the State of Utah, replied to Markey, “Are these U.S. citizens getting the measles?”
Markey replied to Lee: “Please elaborate. Who do you think should die from measles?”
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Markey and Lee on X.
 
Jonathan N. Stea on X, Nov 3, 2025
I’ve got a measles joke—but if you’re vaccinated I’m near certain you won’t get it.
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Unfortunately, I think the double entendre will be lost in translation into most other languages for idiomatic reasons. I can't make it work in Danish.
 
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