Overview
- CDC data released July 23 show 2,318 confirmed measles cases in 2026, already surpassing 2025’s total and including 35 new outbreaks concentrated in states such as South Carolina and Utah.
- Ninety-three percent of 2026 cases involve people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, and kindergarten MMR coverage has fallen to about 92.5%, creating local immunity gaps that let imported cases spark sustained spread.
- Measles has caused substantial clinical harm this year with at least 151 hospitalizations, including 45 children under age five for complications like pneumonia and low blood oxygen, and three deaths were reported last year.
- State and local health departments report rising response costs and workforce strain, with outbreak responses costing millions in some places and diverting staff from other public‑health work such as foodborne illness tracking and routine immunization clinics.
- The surge has triggered sharp political criticism of HHS leadership and drawn warnings that continued domestic transmission could prompt PAHO to revoke the U.S. measles elimination designation, reversing a status held since 2000.