US Measles Cases Hit 35-Year High With Five Months Still to Go

A Record Already Broken — And the Year Isn't Over

Measles has continued its historic resurgence in the United States, with 2026 now marking a second record-breaking year in a row. Just over halfway through the year, the country has recorded more cases than in any other year since 1991. That milestone, grim as it is, arrived with shocking speed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the United States logged 2,318 measles cases in the first seven months of this year, surpassing last year's total of 2,289.

The disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but more cases have been recorded in the past 18 months than there have been in the previous 25 years combined. That's not a statistical quirk — it's a warning signal that public health experts say has been building for years. When vaccine levels dip, measles is usually the first vaccine-preventable disease to rise because it's by far the most contagious.

Who Is Getting Sick — and Why

This is the largest number of measles cases the US has seen in 35 years, and it comes amid a decades-long slide in childhood vaccination rates. The majority of infected people — 93%, according to the CDC — are unvaccinated. Nearly 69% of cases are among those under the age of 20. Six percent of patients, representing 146 people, have been hospitalized. No measles deaths have been reported in 2026, compared with three deaths recorded in all of 2025.

National vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella dropped to 92.5% among kindergartners in the 2024–25 school year, down from 95.2% in 2019–20. That number matters enormously. The US eliminated local measles spread in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, which have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks. States with the highest case counts share a documented pattern: school districts and religious communities with MMR vaccination coverage well below the 95% herd-immunity threshold.

Where the Outbreaks Are Burning Hottest

South Carolina leads all states with 670 confirmed cases, followed by Utah with 518 and Texas with 182. Florida and Arizona also appear among the jurisdictions with elevated case counts. Most of the 2026 cases have been associated with outbreaks that started last year — like in South Carolina, where the outbreak extended through late April. An outbreak along the Utah-Arizona state line has been simmering for more than a year.

Experts relying on mathematical modeling and genetic analyses indicate that the large outbreak on the Utah-Arizona border could be around three to four times bigger than what's currently known, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen. In other words, the official case counts may represent only a fraction of actual infections. Dozens of new cases are reported by the CDC each week, with new large outbreaks adding to others that have simmered since last year.

What Comes Next — Including a Critical International Review

Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, put it plainly: "This essentially is a public health failure, and it's avoidable." Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician and president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, added: "We have joined the rank of countries where vaccination is not reaching the levels needed to protect all of our children against some of the most contagious diseases."

In November, international health officials will meet to determine if the US and Mexico have lost their measles-free status. The Utah-Arizona outbreak simmering for more than a year is a key milestone that international health officials will assess when they convene. The Pan American Health Organization is scheduled to review the country's measles elimination status in November, though surpassing last year's total alone does not by itself change the country's status. With five months still remaining in 2026, the trajectory of this outbreak — and the fate of America's elimination designation — will depend heavily on whether vaccination rates can be meaningfully reversed before that review takes place.