US measles cases reach 35-year high, surpassing 2025 record
5 verified5 unconfirmed
The United States has recorded 2,318 measles cases so far in 2026, surpassing the 2,289 cases reported in all of 2025 and marking the highest annual count since 1991. The new figures, released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come with five months still left in the year. Major outbreaks have been reported in South Carolina, Utah, and Arizona, with additional clusters emerging in other states. Vaccination coverage for measles, mumps, and rubella has fallen below the 95% threshold that public health experts say is necessary to prevent community spread. International health officials are scheduled to meet in November to consider whether the United States and Mexico should lose their status as countries where measles has been eliminated. Some experts and public health officials have noted that official case counts likely underestimate the true scope of the outbreaks because not all infected people seek medical care.
What’s verified
The CDC reported 2,318 measles cases in the U.S. as of July 24, 2026, surpassing the 2,289 cases from all of 2025.
The 2026 total is the highest number of measles cases in the U.S. since 1991.
Large outbreaks have occurred in South Carolina, Utah, and Arizona, with additional clusters in other states.
U.S. childhood vaccination rates for measles have fallen below the 95% level considered necessary to prevent outbreaks.
International health officials will meet in November to decide whether to revoke the U.S. and Mexico’s measles-elimination status.
Not yet confirmed
One source reported that cases have occurred in 44 states and the District of Columbia; other sources did not provide a nationwide state count.
One source reported that 93% of cases in both 2025 and 2026 were among unvaccinated people, mostly younger than 20.
One source reported 151 hospitalizations in 2026 compared to 243 in 2025, and zero deaths so far in 2026 compared to three in 2025.
One source cited estimates that the Utah outbreak could be three to four times larger than known, and that the Texas 2025 outbreak may have been nearly twice the size of the 762 confirmed cases.
Several sources note that official case counts are likely undercounts, but the exact size of the undercount is unknown.
Key figures
Dr. William Moss, director of the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Leisha Nolen, Utah state epidemiologist
Dr. Brannon Traxler, acting director of the South Carolina Department of Health
Dr. Varun Shetty, Texas chief state epidemiologist
Dr. Mark Roberts, retired director of the Public Health Dynamics Lab at the University of Pittsburgh
Sources: The Guardian, NPR, stateline.org, statnews.com
