FARGO — North Dakota has reported its first case of measles in more than a month, just as the state hit a mile marker that declared the outbreak in the state over.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday tallied the highest number of US measles cases since the disease was declared eliminated a quarter-century ago, just as a key Senate committee split the vote to advance President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the public health agency.

Thirteen percent of the confirmed measles cases in the U.S. this year have resulted in hospitalization, according to the CDC, including 21% of cases in children five or younger. Three people are confirmed to have died. At the same time, experts stress that this issue goes beyond measles.

Thanks to the introduction of a vaccine in 1963, measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. Now the highly contagious disease has reemerged as a threat as declining vaccination rates fuel outbreaks around the country.

Cases are rising in the U.S., but the CDC says most people who bring measles into the U.S. are unvaccinated residents who traveled internationally.

Measles was considered eradicated in the United States in 2000. For the first time in 25 years, cases have reached a new high.

Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have reported eight cases so far this year compared to 10 total in 2024.