The 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico cost that state an estimated $5.4 million. That’s according to an analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine published on Aug. 3.
The amount includes medical costs, work done by public health agencies, and lost productivity for patients, caregivers, and people who had to quarantine.
“These estimates offer important insights for decision making by policymakers and public health stakeholders regarding budgets for and expansion of vaccination coverage during an outbreak and strengthening outbreak preparedness,” says the analysis.
“This study also highlights the societal value of protecting communities from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, which can be effectively prevented through high vaccination coverage.”
Most of the costs were paid by taxpayers, according to a report by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
Measles had a resurgence last year, when the United States experienced the most cases since 1992.
New Mexico saw 100 confirmed cases, seven hospitalizations, and one death, according to the CIDRAP report. Eighty-five percent of the victims were unvaccinated.
In 2025, Colorado had 36 cases of the highly contagious and potentially serious disease, four of those in Montezuma County, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Five people were hospitalized; there were no fatalities.
Measles has not gone away. So far this year, there have been 2,371 cases nationwide, more than in all of last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
As of July 30, Colorado has had 24 cases, most of those on the Front Range. Twenty-two of the cases were in unvaccinated people.
New Mexico has recorded 17 cases this year, Arizona 109, and Utah a staggering 524. The Utah outbreak is reportedly slowing.
Measles can cause long-term complications, something that isn’t factored into the estimate of New Mexico’s costs, the CIDRAP article says. It can trigger a very rare but fatal disease that develops seven to ten years after a person has the measles, and it can also destroy antibodies to other illnesses that were present in a victim’s immune system.
The MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent measles.
