BILLINGS — The measles outbreak continues to grow across Montana and the rest of the U.S., with more than 800 confirmed cases nationally, according to the CDC.
This week, Montana became the newest of 25 states to report the measles, with five cases in Gallatin County. In addition, measles aren't the only infectious disease making a comeback, as pertussis, or the whooping cough, is also on the rise.
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This had led vaccine advocates to increase their push for people to get their shots to stop the spread of infectious disease.
That includes Jo Larson of Billings, who loves to knit, crochet and read.
The 86-year-old widow stands with health officials when it comes to vaccinating children and adults.
"I remember when I was in, about the third or fourth grade, we were in Roundup at the time, and I remember having two different kinds of measles," Larson told MTN Friday.
When Larson was a child, she had the measles, scarlet fever and chicken pox before getting the mumps as a young adult.
"I just know how happy I was when (the) polio vaccine came out when I was a young adult," she said.
After experiencing severe sickness in her youth, Larson supports vaccinations, so others don't have to experience the same illness she did.
"I was so happy that all three of my children were able to get vaccinated," Larson said.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there's been a decline in vaccination rates, and an increase in exemption rates for vaccines, according to the CDC.
Dr. Neil Ku, an infectious disease specialist at Billings Clinic, believes there is a correlation between the declining vaccination rates and the measles and pertussis outbreak. Throughout 2025, Montana has had over 170 cases of pertussis.
"Compared to the previous two years, 2023 and 2024, we only had three cases each reported," Ku said Tuesday.
Ku encourages families to vaccinate their children to avoid getting infectious diseases, including the measles or whooping cough.
"Staying vaccinated would... be the most effective and important way to protect yourself," he said.
Anne Langdji, the co-director of Montana Families for Vaccines, a grassroots organization working to educate the public on vaccinations, agrees.
"Measles was eliminated in the U.S. And, as you know, because it's the biggest news, these are the first cases of measles Montana has seen in 35 years," Langdji said Friday. "It's not something brand new, and it's something that we're also using regularly in other areas of our lives."
Langdji has a degree in public health and spent 30 years in West Africa, where she says vaccinations prevented her child from getting infectious diseases.
As a mother, she sympathizes with anti-vaccination parents, but she believes vaccines are effective.
Those against vaccinations believe so for a variety of reasons, including what they fear is a possible link to autism (which has not been proven scientifically), other negative side effects, or lack of effectiveness.
"They're the most highly studied and safest products we have. Besides hygiene, they're really the way we can stay safe and healthy," sais Langdji.
