Measles Update In NJ: State Gives New Information On North Jersey Cases, And Herd Immunity

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — The state said last week that a group of three measles cases reported in February were in the same household, and gave a breakdown of other cases recorded in the state this year.

On Friday, the federal CDC updated its national numbers to say that 800 cases of the highly contagious virus have been confirmed in the U.S. this year, with two fatal cases in children and one under investigation in an adult. 69 percent of the cases have occurred in people 19 and under, and 96 percent have been in people who are unvaccinated or whose status is unknown, they said.

There have been 16 outbreaks nationwide, meaning three or more related cases, the CDC said Friday.

The two kids who died are part of a Texas outbreak that has spread to more than 597 people, according to numbers updated by the state of Texas Friday.

New Jersey reported in February that there was a small cluster of cases with exposures in Bergen County. The state's newly posted information said the three were all in one household, and that the virus did not spread beyond the group.

In that cluster, a person with measles landed in a Bergen County emergency room on Feb. 9, and the virus was reported in two other people later that month. The first person was unvaccinated and had traveled internationally, the state said, and the other two cases were unvaccinated and were close contacts of the first.

The state had not confirmed at the time that they were in the same household.

"There is no ongoing community spread in NJ," the state said last week. "The three NJ cases in 2025 were linked to a single household outbreak in February. Travelers: Make sure you’re up to date on MMR and other routine vaccines."

Earlier this month, the state reported another case not related to the first group, saying that person may have exposed others in Newark Airport in March and then at several Essex and Bergen County locations.

"The New Jersey Department of Health is aware of 4 unrelated measles cases in non-NJ residents who may have exposed NJ residents," they wrote last week. "Please see the exposures table or recent press releases for more information." The last report of new cases was on April 11.

Losing 'Herd Immunity'

Earlier this month, NJ Spotlight quoted state Health Commissioner Dr. Kaitlan Baston as saying that vaccination rates statewide are close to 92 percent, with some areas showing lower rates (in Ocean County it's 85 percent). Health experts say that 95 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated for MMR — a vaccine that was first licensed for public use in 1963 — to prevent widescale spread in an area.

The Americas were declared free of endemic measles by 2016, but suffered a setback two years later due to gaps in vaccines in other countries that led to outbreaks there, scientists say.

See national measles cases and outbreaks (CDC).

Prior Reporting: Measles-Infected Traveler Visited Newark Airport