Nearly 200 cases of measles have been recorded in France since the beginning of 2025, more than double the number compared to the same period last year, the public health agency announced on Thursday, confirming a trend also observed internationally. "From January 1 to March 14, 2025, 180 cases of measles were reported, compared to 83 over the same period in 2024.", reported Public Health France. Of all the cases recorded in France since the beginning of the year, nearly half have been hospitalized and one in five has experienced complications, including encephalitis. More than a third of the cases (35%) have affected children under four years old.
In the United States, the first deaths in ten years
This is the first time such precise figures have been given on recent measles cases in France, but health authorities had previously warned of a sharp increase. The resurgence of measles is affecting many other countries, amid insufficient vaccination. In Europe, according to figures published in mid-March by the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cases doubled in 2024, to more than 128,000 and 38 deaths.
In the United States, where the disease was considered eradicated in 2000, hundreds of cases have recently been reported, including the first deaths in about a decade. Measles, a highly contagious viral disease, causes fever and a rash. It can lead to dramatic complications, particularly in children. Of all the cases in France since the beginning of January, the vast majority (70.5%) have occurred in people who were unvaccinated or not up to date with their booster.
A major measles outbreak in Morocco
Experts are unanimous in considering vaccination as the main vector in the fight against the disease. However, in both Europe and the United States, rates are lower than the 95% recommended to prevent the spread of measles. While the French Ministry of Health had called for increased vigilance in early March, Public Health France reiterated this message. In addition to the call for vaccination, particularly among early childhood professionals, the agency mentioned awareness-raising actions for travelers returning from Morocco, which is facing a major outbreak.
Nearly a quarter of French cases (23%) since the beginning of 2025 have been linked, directly or indirectly, to travel to Morocco. Morocco launched a vaccination campaign last week following the alarming resurgence of measles in its territory, attributed mainly to the rise of vaccine misinformation.
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