Cases of COVID-19 are now likely growing in 25 states, according to estimates published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, as this year's summer wave of the virus appears to be getting underway.

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.

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.

The CDC is ending its emergency response to bird flu, citing a significant drop in cases between February and July.

U.S. measles cases have hit a 33-year high, with 1,288 confirmed infections in 39 states, the Centers for Disease Control reported on Wednesday Why it matters: The case count as of July 8 has already passed the highest annual count since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

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

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.

Measles cases in the U.S. have hit a three-decade high, reaching the highest yearly total since 1992 in less than seven months, according to data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.