What you need to know about the Measles outbreak: Watch
Cases of the measles are on the rise, but many doctors have never treated a case. Here’s what you should know.
- A sixth measles case has been identified in Passaic County, New Jersey, linked to international travel.
- Nationwide measles cases are at their highest point since 2000, with 1,333 cases and three fatalities reported as of July 30.
- Individuals who visited specific areas of Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains between July 31 and August 1 are advised to contact health officials due to potential exposure.
A sixth case of measles for 2025 has been reported in New Jersey, this one in Passaic County, though state health officials are assuring it hasn’t reached the levels of an outbreak.
The latest case comes as nationwide cases hit their highest levels since the disease was declared eradicated in 2000.
Health officials are urging anyone who visited the Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains to call their health department or a health care provider.
Of particular risk was anyone who visited these locations at the Chilton Medical Center:
- Emergency department, July 31 at 7 p.m. through Aug. 1, 3:30 a.m.
- Main hospital, 5th Floor, Intensive Care Unit: Aug. 1, 1:30 a.m. through 12:30 p.m.
Symptoms could emerge in exposed individuals as late as Aug. 24, according to health officials.
Representatives for Atlantic Health, which oversees Chilton Medical Center, could not immediately be reached by phone or email Saturday afternoon.
There were 1,333 cases as of July 30 with three fatalities, 169 hospitalizations and outbreaks across 38 states since the beginning of 2025, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the New Jersey Department of Health, this single incident of measles is related to recent international travel, but health officials do not say where the person has traveled, nor do they list any identifiers of the patient.
None of the six cases has resulted in outbreaks, which are defined as at least three related cases, according to state health officials.
NJ measles patients have been in many public spaces
In New Jersey in this year alone, people infected with measles have attended large concerts, sat in a Newark Liberty International Airport terminal for hours, traveled through the state on an Amtrak train, and sought treatment at several medical facilities.
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease that had been considered eradicated in the United States as of 2000, meaning there was no spread and new cases were only those contracted only from abroad. But vaccinations have declined, resulting in a growing number of states no longer reporting rates consistent with herd immunity, and infections have returned.
What is measles and how do you get it?
Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily, and most severely, afflicts children. According to the World Health Organization, it infects the respiratory tract before spreading throughout the body.
The virus is one of the most contagious infectious diseases; so contagious, in fact, that 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed end up contracting it. Additionally, 1 in 5 of those people end up hospitalized, according to the CDC.
The MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) protects against measles with a 97% efficacy rate and is typically given to children as part of the regular vaccine course at ages 12 to 15 months for the first dose and ages 4 to 6 for the second.
RFK Jr. gives mixed messages on measles vaccination
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, has issued mixed messages to parents amid the outbreak, encouraging the vaccine but linking it to adverse outcomes and suggesting remedies experts have warned against, such as the use of vitamin A for prevention and treatment.
Measles symptoms
Symptoms of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears three to five days after symptoms begin. It is sometimes difficult to diagnose, since most doctors in the U.S. have never treated a case.
This article contains material from USA Today
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook