Could that also be said about the Canadian total? It is not easy to get an appointment in Canada with a family doctor.
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There was a confirmed measles case that passed through both Newark and Logan over the holiday travel. So glad we are vaccinated! MA and NJ issued an alert:
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As a reminder, measles vaccination is 97% effective, but that means that there is an unlucky 3%. Apparently, such a person tested positive in Walnut Creek, CA recently. News reports did mention various stores and health care facilities that the person visited shortly before diagnosis with measles, but did not mention whether the person had recently been in measles outbreak areas.
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It’s impossible to get an appointment with a primary care doc where I live in the US as well (I tried to set up an appointment for my 88 year old mother who hasn’t seen her PCP in a couple years back in early October - the earliest appointment they had was late April so I doubt it’s any harder in Canada). But if you have suspected measles anywhere someone is going to see you if you call - at least to test - whether it’s the pediatrician/pcp, urgent care, or the ED. Comparing trying to get a well visit versus trying to get tested for potential measles case is a false equivalency. I have no idea if cases are also undercounted in Canada - I haven’t looked at those data - but it’s well accepted they are undercounted in TX and the other western states as many cases are managed at home and people who don’t vaccinate are less likely to trust the health care system in general.
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The severity of measles can vary enormously. It can vary enormously within one family and between siblings.
Many, many, many years ago (before a vaccine existed) I had a very mild case of measles (in Canada). The only reason that I even knew that I had measles is that three other family members were very sick at the same time. If anyone had been counting at the time, I would not have been included in any count.
There are probably a few people experiencing the same thing right now. I would expect some under-counting in both the US and Canada.
To me one of the scariest parts of this is that measles might be a precursor of other preventable diseases. I am taking this as a warning. Polio has not been wiped off the face of the world either. It could make a comeback. My understanding is that the bacteria that causes tetanus is quite common in the wild, and in soil. It could make a comeback.
I am concerned that the current measles outbreak could be among other things a warning regarding other outbreaks that might also occur in the future.
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In more ways than just the anti-vaccine way… Measles infection tends to erase or reduce prior acquired immunity against other viruses.
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Agree with your concern. And I will point out that many public health experts (I am not one of them) credit the “recommended vaccine schedule” for babies and toddlers as an effective way of catching many other medical and developmental issues. Knowing that the parents will be interacting with a health care professional to get the “required” (even though in some states it was more of a suggestion) vaccines on time, means that fewer resources needed to be expended teaching parents to recognize the signs of other issues or diseases. The fear is that on top of the measles explosion, we’ll start to see five year old’s whose developmental delays were not recognized at 18 months, 6 year old’s whose vision or hearing problems were not caught early, etc.
The “natural parenting movement” which includes raw milk, no vaccines, no fluoride, etc. is likely to lead to many more kids with disabilities, even apart from the risks of contracting these easily preventable diseases. So tragic.
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And we have an outbreak! 
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The interface is slow, but it works so be patient. Data from Boston Children’s/Harvard Med mapping vaccination rates
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Map doesn’t include my state but S’s zip code in NY has 2nd lowest rate of infections.
Completely preventable, but here we are:
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Research paper about measles vaccination rates for children under 5 years old (before they may have to show vaccination for kindergarten):
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44360-025-00031-8
Probably means that pre-kindergarten day care and similar are high risk environments for measles exposure.
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I think many day care centers and nursery schools require proof of vaccination (I am pretty sure the pre-school my daughter attended back in the 90s did).
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My S25 goes to Clemson, there’s a case on campus. Fortunately, he’s fully vaxxed and I assume most students are too, but still. It’s not good.
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There was something on the news a couple of weeks ago about possible exposure not all that far from where we live also.
At this point I just assume that we will all be exposed to measles at some point this year. Given how contagious it is, the odds are very good that either we already had it, or we are already vaccinated, or we are going to get it. If we somehow miss it this year, then we might be exposed next year.
This is sort of like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
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Perhaps it is time for parents concerned about their infants to choose the extra MMR vaccine dose at 6 months, in addition to the usual ones at 1 year and 5 years, since that 6 month dose is advised when going to places where measles circulates.
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And adding “require vaccinations for dorms” to factors to consider in college decisions.
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Please get a booster so you won’t get it. Because it looks like these outbreaks will be happening more often. 
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If you’ve had two MMR boosters aren’t recommended as the protection is long-lasting. At least that’s the current rec. might change I suppose if things get really bad.
If you’re boomer age, it’s important to double check that you are properly protected. We may need a booster that a lot of us didn’t get. It’s wise to talk with your doctor. (I got a booster right after giving birth to baby #2 … all was fine when I was tested while pregnant with my first, but my immunity had waned when I was tested for #2.)
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