Overview
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s July 24 data show 2,318 confirmed measles cases in 2026, surpassing 2025 and marking the highest U.S. annual total since 1991.
- Outbreaks are concentrated in a handful of states with the largest counts in South Carolina, Utah, Texas, Virginia, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
- About 93 percent of cases this year are in people who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccine status, reflecting falling kindergarten MMR coverage from 95.2 percent in 2019–20 to 92.5 percent in 2024–25.
- Around 151 people have been hospitalized in 2026 and no deaths have been reported so far, but health officials warn official counts likely miss some infections and that contact tracing and local public-health resources are strained.
- Sustained domestic transmission could prompt the Pan American Health Organization to reconsider the U.S. measles elimination designation in November 2026, a development that would have policy and international implications.