Despite having a very effective and easily available vaccine, measles outbreaks have continued to pop up in the United States over the last two decades. According to the CDC in 2023 there were 41 confirmed cases of measles. Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says there were no confirmed measles cases in Wisconsin last year, but says because the disease can easily spread that could quickly change. While the number of measles cases in the past few years are not at record highs and the 2023 numbers are lower than recent years, the fact that outbreaks are still occuring is a trend that concerns health officials and experts. Measles was declared eliminated in 2000.
