U.S. reports 4,080 measles cases in 2026

The United States has recorded 4,080 confirmed measles cases in 2026, the highest annual total since 1991, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated Friday. Cases have been reported in 45 states and Washington, D.C., and most involve children and teenagers aged 19 or younger, the CDC data shows. The total has risen sharply from 2,318 cases reported in July. Health officials and specialists say confirmed cases may not capture every infection. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said deaths and hospitalizations suggest that some people with measles may not have been tested or counted. About 95% of cases were among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown, according to CDC data. About one in 10 children younger than 5 who contracted measles were hospitalized. The CDC recommends two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, given first at 12 to 15 months and again between ages 4 and 6. Vaccination coverage among kindergartners was 92.4% during the 2025-26 school year, down from 95.2% in 2019-20, the CDC reported. The U.S. vaccination target is 95%.