US measles cases surpass 2,000 for second consecutive year, CDC reports

U.S. measles cases have surpassed 2,000 for the second consecutive year, with 2,030 confirmed cases in 2026 so far, reports the CDC. This surge, driven by declining childhood vaccination rates, threatens the nation's measles elimination status, achieved in 2000. Health officials express concern as outbreaks affect 38 states, with the majority of cases in unvaccinated individuals.

US measles case surge

• ▪The U.S. has recorded 2,030 confirmed measles cases so far in 2026 across 38 states and the District of Columbia
• ▪In 2025, the U.S. recorded its first measles deaths in over a decade, including two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico
• ▪The majority of 2026 cases are among children and teenagers, including 424 under age five and 1,029 aged 5 to 19
• ▪This is the second consecutive year U.S. measles cases have surpassed 2,000, following 2,288 cases in all of 2025
• ▪Prior to 2025, the U.S. had not recorded more than 2,000 annual measles cases since 1992
• ▪Utah is experiencing its largest outbreak in 40 years with 675 cases in 2026

Declining MMR vaccination rates

• ▪During the 2024-2025 school year, 92.5% of U.S. kindergartners had received the MMR vaccine, below the roughly 95% needed for community immunity
• ▪About 92% of 2026 measles cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown
• ▪Two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine are 97% effective at preventing infection
• ▪The 2024-2025 kindergarten vaccination rate is a decline from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year

Measles elimination status threat

• ▪The U.S. could lose its measles elimination status if continuous transmission is confirmed for 12 months
• ▪Measles was considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 due to the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine
• ▪The Pan-American Health Organization is scheduled to review the U.S. measles elimination status in November 2026
• ▪If the elimination status is lost, measles would again be considered an endemic, or constantly circulating, disease in the U.S.

Public health response recommendations

• ▪Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center said the data indicates more parents are postponing or withholding childhood vaccinations
• ▪The CDC recommends children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, one at 12-15 months and a second between ages 4 and 6
• ▪Measles infections can cause dangerous complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis (brain swelling)
• ▪Dr. Trahern Jones, a pediatric infectious disease doctor, stated that measles can be "truly life-threatening" for immunocompromised children