A person who attended a Shakira concert at MetLife Stadium was infected with measles and may have spread the highly contagious virus at the event, New Jersey health officials said.
The person, who lives out of state, attended the concert in East Rutherford on May 15 while infectious, according to a statement released by the New Jersey Department of Health on May 20. The department warned that anyone present at the stadium from 7:30 p.m. on May 15 through 1 a.m. on May 16 may have been exposed to the virus.
The state health department released little information about the infected concert goer, including where they sat or what entrance and exit they used. As of May 20, no measles cases associated with the concert have been reported, but symptoms could develop as late as June 6, the department added.
The highly anticipated concert drew tens of thousands of fans to East Rutherford. It was the first of back-to-back Shakira concerts at the stadium, which has a capacity of 50,000 for most concerts and 82,500 for football and soccer events.
Though viruses tend to spread more quickly indoors, measles can live in the air for up to two hours and is still highly transmissible, especially among the unvaccinated. The state health department advised people who suspect they have measles to call their health care provider so doctors and nurses can set up a special treatment section to limit any potential spread.
The newly identified case of measles is the latest in an ongoing outbreak in the United States. As of May 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 1,000 confirmed measles cases in 2025.
The last outbreak of a similar scale occurred in 2019, when 1,274 cases were confirmed across the country. But with cases surpassing the 1,000 mark just five months into the year, 2025 is shaping up to be the largest outbreak in 25 years.
Only three measles cases have been reported among New Jersey residents this year — all from the same household in Bergen County, which is located northwest of New York City.
The MetLife case was the second measles incident in New Jersey last week. On May 12, a passenger with measles spent several hours at Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal B, according to the state health department.
So far this year, the CDC has reported 1,024 confirmed measles cases across at least 30 states. With only five months into the year, the country’s current outbreaks have eclipsed the 285 measles cases reported in 2024.
About 96% of cases in 2025 were patients who either had not been vaccinated or had an unknown status, according to the CDC. Of the 1,024 cases, 30% occurred in patients under 5 years of age, while 38% were reported in those between the ages of 5 and 19.
The agency also reported that 128 patients have been hospitalized, including 69 patients under 5 years old. Nationwide, there have been three confirmed deaths — two children and one adult — in 2025.
The CDC said there have been 14 outbreaks, which are defined as three or more related cases, in the U.S. Ninety-two percent of confirmed cases, 947 out of 1,024, are “outbreak-associated,” according to the agency.
The largest outbreak is centered in West Texas. On May 20, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported that 722 cases had been confirmed since late January.
Measles is “highly contagious” and can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, the CDC said. People can also be infected by breathing contaminated air, where it remains infectious for up to two hours, or by touching their mouth, eyes, or nose after contact with a contaminated surface.
Measles symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus, according to the CDC. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears three to five days after symptoms begin.
Complications from measles include ear infections, hearing loss, pneumonia, croup, diarrhea, blindness, and swelling of the brain, the CDC said. Even in healthy children, measles can cause serious illness and death. In unvaccinated pregnant women, measles may cause premature birth or a low-birthweight baby.
Scientists have warned that the United States is at a tipping point for the return of endemic measles, which was declared eradicated nationally in 2000, and said public health officials in the country should provide urgent endorsement for highly effective vaccines, according to Reuters.
The CDC estimates that about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the United States who get measles will need hospitalization. Health experts have underscored that the best protection against the disease is the vaccine, either given alone or as part of a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shot or a measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97% protection against the virus, according to the CDC. Children typically first receive the vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old and again at the age of 4 to 6.
Adults born before 1957 are presumed to have acquired immunity as they most likely had measles during childhood, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY; Reuters
