A new University of Utah study modeled a 1,500-case measles outbreak, revealing just how expensive preventable outbreaks can be nationwide. The United States has already exceeded 1,550 cases in 2025, demonstrating how declining vaccine uptake can quickly undo decades of progress.
Once declared eliminated in the United States, measles – a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening virus – is making a costly comeback. But vaccines can help prevent infection and the potentially deadly consequences.
Key findings from the study:
- A 2025 outbreak of 1,500 measles cases could cost the country $90 million in just one year. That’s nearly $60,000 per case of an otherwise entirely preventable disease.
- In a worst-case scenario, outbreak containment costs could rise to nearly $200 million.
Where the costs come from: Outbreak costs extend well beyond hospital walls, impacting families, businesses and public health systems. A 1,500-case outbreak of measles in 2025 could generate:
- Over $55 million in costs related directly to public health response, such as disease testing, tracing and emergency operations.
- Nearly $26 million in indirect costs, including lost wages from patients, caregivers and quarantined contacts.
- $9 million in direct medical expenses, like those associated with hospital visits and treatments.
Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease carry far reaching consequences – threatening health, while also burdening families and health care systems with avoidable costs. Vaccines help avoid these consequences, which is why sustaining high vaccination rates is critical to protecting not only your family’s health but also reducing costs for individuals, local governments and the health system.
For just every $1 spent on childhood immunizations, $11 in future health and societal costs are saved.
The bottom line: Vaccination programs are smart investments, preventing illnesses that harm families and avoiding the costs that strain health care systems and budgets. When vaccination rates decline, preventable diseases resurface, putting lives at risk and driving up costs for everyone.
Andrew Powaleny
Andrew Powaleny is the Deputy Vice President of Public Affairs at PhRMA, where he leads communications on scientific, regulatory and intellectual property issues, highlighting the biopharmaceutical industry’s efforts in developing innovative medicines and vaccines while promoting an environment that encourages necessary risk-taking. For five years starting in 2019, he launched and led PhRMA’s grassroots initiative, Voters for Cures, bringing patients and caregivers together to advocate for access to medicine and biopharmaceutical innovation. He also co-founded and co-chaired PRIDE Umbrella, a resource group for LGBTQ+ individuals. Prior to joining PhRMA in 2015, Andrew worked as a communications consultant in Washington, D.C., and as Deputy Press Secretary for the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce under Chairman Fred Upton. He holds a degree in public policy and government from Eastern Connecticut State University, with a minor in music. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys exercise, musical theater and mentoring college students through The Fund for American Studies alumni association.
Andrew Powaleny