TENNESSEE (WHNT) — As the measles outbreak spreads from state to state, Tennessee has confirmed four cases in the upper central portion of the state, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
As of April 10, the Centers for Disease Control said it has confirmed 712 measles cases throughout the United States. While the center said it is aware of other cases being reported by other areas, the CDC has only confirmed a total of 712 cases.
There have been 7 outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) reported in 2025, and 93% of confirmed cases (660 of 712) are outbreak-associated. For comparison, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024 and 69% of cases (198 of 285) were outbreak-associated.
CDC
The following 25 areas/states have reported measles cases:
The Tennessee Department of Health announced the first confirmed case in the state on March 21. The department said it was from a middle Tennessee resident and that the likely source of the infection was being investigated.
“The individual became infected with measles in early March and is recovering at home. Public health officials are working to identify other locations and persons potentially exposed to the virus,” TDH said.
TDH confirmed on April 1 that three more measles cases were confirmed, bringing the grand total to four.
The department said one of the newly-confirmed cases was related to the state’s first confirmed case on March 21. The three who contracted measles were recovering at home and public health officials were working to identify other locations and persons potentially exposed to the virus.
The TDH website updated the public health regions where the confirmed cases were noted as Mid-Cumberland and Upper Cumberland, each region with two confirmed cases. Below is a map from the TDh website of the regions with counties.
To look at a map of the counties within each region, you can visit the TDH website here.
From the measles outbreak, the CDC is reporting that there are two confirmed deaths and one death that is under investigation. The two confirmed deaths are in Texas and the one under investigation is in New Mexico.
The first death associated with measles in the country came from Texas on February 26. The second was reported on April 6. The state health services said both were school-aged children who were not vaccinated.
The New Mexico Department of Health said someone who died in Lea County tested positive for the disease. NMDH said the person was unvaccinated.
The CDC provided statistics regarding the confirmed cases in the U.S.:
Age
- Under five years old – 32% (225 cases)
- Five to 19 years old – 38% (274 cases)
- 20+ years old – 28% (198 cases)
- Age unknown – 2% (15 cases)
Vaccination Status
- Unvaccinated or unknown – 97%
- One MMR dose – 1%
- Two MMR doses – 2%
Below is a map of measles cases throughout the country in 2025, provided by the CDC website. The darker the shade of blue, the more cases that have been confirmed.
“Anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk,” the CDC wrote. “Some people think of measles as just a little rash and fever that clears up in a few days. But measles can cause serious health complications, especially in children younger than 5 years old. Measles is highly contagious. If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected. The best protection against measles is the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against all strains of measles.”
The CDC website says two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles and one dose is about 93% effective. You can learn more about measles and how to prevent it on the CDC website here.
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