New Mexico measles outbreak associated with significant costs

1. In this cost analysis, the 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico was estimated to impose a societal economic burden of $5.4 million, equivalent to approximately $53,500 per case.

2. Public health response activities accounted for the majority of costs, with more than $2 million devoted to vaccination-related efforts aimed at controlling the outbreak.

Evidence Rating Level: 3 (Average)

Study Rundown: In 2025, the United States experienced its largest measles resurgence since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. One of the most significant outbreaks occurred in New Mexico and prompted a substantial public health response. This study evaluated the outbreak’s economic impact, including public health expenditures, direct medical costs, and productivity losses. The outbreak generated considerable costs, with the majority attributable to public health response efforts such as case investigation, contact tracing, quarantine management, and vaccination campaigns. Thousands of personnel hours were devoted to outbreak control, and vaccination-related activities represented a major component of overall expenditures. Direct medical costs, including hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and laboratory testing, contributed a smaller but still meaningful share of the economic burden. Additional costs arose from productivity losses among infected individuals, caregivers of infected children, and those affected by quarantine measures. The outbreak also resulted in a death, further increasing the estimated societal burden through lost lifetime productivity. Although the authors acknowledge limitations related to estimating labour costs and healthcare expenditures, the findings demonstrate that measles outbreaks impose substantial financial costs on healthcare systems, public health agencies, and affected families. These results underscore the broader economic consequences of declining vaccination coverage and highlight the value of maintaining high immunization rates to prevent future outbreaks and the significant costs associated with their control.

Click to read this study in AIM

Relevant Reading: Societal Costs of a Measles Outbreak

In-Depth [cross-sectional study]: This cost analysis estimated the societal economic burden of the 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico, with particular emphasis on expenditures associated with outbreak control and vaccination efforts. Costs incurred between February and September 2025 were categorized into public health response costs, direct medical costs, and productivity losses. Among 100 confirmed measles cases and 2,946 identified contacts, the total societal cost of the outbreak was estimated at $5.4 million, equivalent to approximately $53,500 per case and $1,800 per contact. Public health response activities represented the largest component of costs at $3.2 million, followed by productivity losses of $1.9 million and direct medical costs of $290,000. The outbreak response involved 133 personnel, including 124 individuals from the New Mexico Department of Health, and required a total of 22,399 hours of work. Vaccination-related activities alone accounted for $2.1 million in expenditures, with $1.1 million attributed to the administration of additional measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine doses. Compared with the same period in 2024, more than 21,500 additional MMR doses were administered during the outbreak, including over 4,300 pediatric doses and 17,000 adult doses. Direct medical costs totaled approximately $290,000 and included $238,000 for seven hospitalizations, $32,000 for 79 outpatient visits, and $20,000 for 1,286 commercial laboratory tests. In a scenario analysis that accounted for outpatient care among patients who did not seek medical attention, direct medical costs increased to approximately $300,000. Productivity losses were substantial. Missed work among infected adults and caregivers of infected children resulted in an estimated loss of $209,000. Productivity losses associated with quarantine measures were even greater, totaling approximately $652,000, including $96,000 among caregivers of quarantined children and $556,000 among quarantined adults. The outbreak also resulted in one death, corresponding to an estimated lifetime productivity loss of nearly $1.0 million. Sensitivity analyses estimated the total cost of the outbreak to range from $4.8 million to $5.5 million. Overall, these findings demonstrate the considerable economic burden of measles outbreaks and underscore the value of maintaining high vaccination coverage to prevent costly vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.

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