# Measles is surging in the U.S. — and outbreaks can cost millions

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/measles-is-surging-in-the-u-s-and-outbreaks-can-cost-millions/
- Published: 2026-11-11T15:14:53+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T21:52:55+00:00
- Original publisher: CNBC (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/11/measles-outbreak-us-economic-cost.html
- Topics: Business, Research, Science

## Key points

- Johns Hopkins created a tool to estimate measles outbreak costs.
- Texas’s 803 cases in 2025 cost nearly $13 million.
- Public health response and lost productivity made up most estimated costs.

## Summary

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a tool to estimate the economic costs of measles outbreaks in the US, including public health responses, medical care and lost productivity. The estimates show that an outbreak’s financial impact can vary substantially by state and case count.

The tool estimates that New York’s 48 reported cases in 2025 cost about $1.1 million, while Texas’s 803 cases cost nearly $13 million. For Texas, that includes $9 million in public health costs, $4 million in productivity losses and about $288,000 in direct medical expenses. The estimates build on research that found historical public health response costs averaged nearly $59,000 per case, with much of the spending driven by staff time for contact tracing and other outbreak work.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.