LANSING — Michigan public health leaders are sounding the alarm on the country’s growing measles outbreak that has infected 800 and killed three.
Only nine cases are confirmed in Michigan so far, but experts say that trends are moving in the wrong direction.
Michigan’s head of immunizations says that vaccination rates against measles have dropped from 85% in 2020 to 79% currently, short of the community rate of 95% that experts suggest. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most effective way to protect against measles is vaccination, which is 97% effective at preventing infection after two doses.
“Vaccinating your child is one of the safest and most effective things you can do to protect them, and we can make our communities safer,” said Veronica McNally, a vaccine educator whose infant daughter died of whooping cough, a vaccine-preventable disease.
The US’s 2025 measles outbreak has disproportionately impacted children — 31% of cases are among children under 5, and 38% are in those ages 5 through 19.
Nearly all of those cases are among unvaccinated individuals, and about one in five infected children have been hospitalized.
“We are truly speaking out of care for your absolute best health, and that includes vaccination and the prevention of these very serious diseases,” said Dr. Rachel Klamo, president of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. “We do not want to encounter the death of a child in our local community or practice due to under-vaccination.”
Two unvaccinated children died earlier this year as an outbreak formed in West Texas, along with one unvaccinated adult in New Mexico.
McNally, founder of the ‘I Vaccinate’ campaign, encouraged parents hesitant about vaccinating their children to share their concerns with a medical professional.
“Take a moment to find out if your child is missing any routine vaccinations. Make a plan with your medical provider to get them caught up, and encourage a friend to do the same,” McNally said. “We have to be talking about this as parents. We have to be talking about this as community members, because we have the ability to protect our children against what is happening right now across the country.”
More information on the measles vaccine and symptoms to look out for can be found on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.