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4w ago

U.S. Measles Cases Reach 35-Year High

Falling childhood vaccination rates plus gaps in testing and reporting have driven outbreaks that could cost the United States its measles‑elimination status before a November PAHO review

FILE - Health department staff members enter the Andrews County Health Department measles clinic carrying doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, File)
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A sign reading "measles testing" is seen as an outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, has raised concerns over its spread to other parts of the state, in Seminole, Texas, U.S., February 25, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Rocandio

Overview

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that 2,318 confirmed measles cases have been logged in 2026, surpassing last year’s total and marking the highest U.S. toll since 1991.
  • About 93% of infections have occurred in people who were unvaccinated, and the outbreaks have produced at least 151 hospitalizations so far this year.
  • Large clusters have driven the surge, including a 997-case outbreak in northern South Carolina that ended in April and an ongoing Utah outbreak that has exceeded 700 cases and spread beyond the Arizona border.
  • Public‑health officials and researchers say official counts likely understate the true scale because of incomplete testing, variable reporting and limited staffing, and modeling and genetic analyses suggest some outbreaks may be several times larger than confirmed totals.
  • Falling MMR coverage among kindergarteners to 92.5% leaves hundreds of thousands vulnerable, strains contact-tracing and clinic capacity, and has prompted federal and state outbreak responses ahead of a November PAHO decision on U.S. elimination status.