March 6, 2025- The New Mexico Department of Health confirmed on Thursday that an unvaccinated Mexico resident tested positive for measles after his death. This marks the second measles-related death in the United States in over a decade.
According to David Morgan, Public Information Officer for the New Mexico Department of Health, the unvaccinated adult did not seek medical care before his death. He added that the cause of death is still under investigation by the state medical examiner.
As of February 27, around 164 cases of measles have been reported to the U.S. Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) across nine jurisdictions. Dr. Tina, an infectious disease specialist, stated that measles typically results in death in 1 out of 3 per every 1,000 cases. However, the recent two deaths out of a total of 164 cases have raised concerns among health officials.
The recent rise in measles cases and mortality rates will likely put measles vaccines into the spotlight. According to Coherent Market Insights (CMI), the global measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines industry is poised to witness significant growth in the coming years.
Growing concerns about measles outbreaks in nations like the United States and Mexico are expected to drive increased vaccination efforts, government initiatives, and research into more effective immunization strategies. This could create lucrative revenue-generation opportunities for pharmaceutical companies.
Government health officials may push for stricter vaccination policies and awareness campaigns, leading to increased spending on measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. This will play a key role in fostering growth of the target industry.
“The latest death by measles reinforces the importance of immunization. It could motivate the general population to opt for measles vaccines, leading to higher demand during the coming years,” says a senior analyst at CMI.”
As people become more aware of the severe consequences of measles infection, vaccine demand is expected to rise. Increased media coverage of the latest incident could also influence parents to ensure their children receive routine vaccinations.
Top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are likely to ram up investments in research and development (R&D) to create new vaccines with better safety and efficacy in tackling infectious diseases like measles. This will further expand the global MMR vaccines industry.
