Overview
- An August 2026 peer-reviewed analysis estimated the 2025 New Mexico outbreak generated about $5.4 million in societal costs, averaging more than $53,000 for each of the 100 confirmed cases.
- Public-health response work accounted for roughly $3.2 million of the total, with about $2.1 million spent specifically on vaccination-related activities such as mass clinics and staff time.
- Direct medical care costs were about $290,000, with $238,000 for seven hospitalizations, and lost productivity from patients, caregivers and quarantined contacts added nearly $1.6 million.
- The outbreak began in an undervaccinated Texas community in January 2025, spread into New Mexico in February, involved 100 cases (including one death), 205 exposed contacts and 133 public-health responders, and was declared over by the CDC in September 2025.
- Authors caution the $5.4 million figure likely understates the full impact because out-of-pocket expenses and some indirect costs were unavailable, and experts warn that falling vaccination coverage and a 2026 U.S. measles surge make similar costly responses more likely and strain local health systems.