Economic Impact of the 2025 New Mexico Measles Outbreak: Highlighting the Cost of Efforts to Prevent Future Outbreaks.

Background

In 2025, the United States experienced its highest measles case count since 1992. In New Mexico, 100 confirmed measles cases (99 outbreak-related cases), including 1 death, occurred across 9 counties from February through September 2025.

Objective

To estimate the societal economic burden of this outbreak while highlighting public health expenditures for vaccination-related activities that supported outbreak control and prevention of future outbreaks.

Design

Cost analysis from a societal perspective to estimate 3 types of costs: public health response costs, direct medical costs, and productivity losses.

Setting

Nine counties in New Mexico during February to September 2025.

Participants

133 public health responders, 100 patients with confirmed measles, and 205 exposed contacts.

Intervention

Public health response activities, including vaccination campaigns, case management, and contact tracing.

Measurements

Costs were categorized as response costs (labor, materials, travel), direct medical costs (third-party), or productivity losses (illness, isolation, quarantine, caregiving).

Results

The overall societal cost was estimated at $5.4 million ($53 522 per case, or $1817 per contact). The largest component of the public health response to the outbreak (about $3.2 million) was costs from vaccination-related activities (about $2.1 million).

Limitations

Costs may be overestimated or underestimated due to incomplete reporting; insurance data were used rather than actual medical costs; certain direct medical costs were excluded; and assumptions were made for productivity losses.

Conclusion

These estimates offer important insights for decision making by policymakers and public health stakeholders regarding budgets for and expansion of vaccination coverage during an outbreak and strengthening outbreak preparedness. This study also highlights the societal value of protecting communities from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, which can be effectively prevented through high vaccination coverage. PRIMARY

Funding

SOURCE None.