Tracking U.S. Measles: Cases Reach 35-Year High in 2026
U.S. News tracks the 2026 measles surge as officials prepare to review the nation’s elimination status following 38 new outbreaks this year.
By Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder Senior WriterAug. 14, 2026, at 3:59 p.m.
Measles infections in the first seven months of this year surpassed all of 2025, when the U.S. reported the most annual cases in over three decades.
U.S. News is tracking the outbreak, which includes 2,566 confirmed cases and 38 new outbreaks. That’s compared to a total of 2,289 infections and 45 outbreaks for the full year of 2025.
“Reaching this milestone is particularly striking because we are only in July, and measles cases are still being reported throughout the country, with outbreaks in Virginia and Pennsylvania,” William Moss of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said in a statement.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned state and local health departments that more measles cases are likely to come with summer travel.
"With continued measles transmission in areas across North America and expected increases in international and domestic travel and large events during spring and summer, additional measles cases are anticipated in the coming months,” the alert dated April 27 said.
Over 40 jurisdictions have reported measles infections to the CDC this year. They include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
An outbreak in South Carolina was responsible for the vast majority of this year’s total with more than 600 cases, though officials declared that outbreak over in April after 42 days of no new outbreak-related cases. An outbreak in Utah that started last summer is ongoing, with over 500 infections reported so far this year.
The various outbreaks put the country at risk of losing its measles elimination status this year. Measles has been considered eliminated in the U.S. since 2000, meaning that the virus was no longer spreading continuously for more than one year within the country. Authorities will examine the U.S. measles status in November.
The surge in measles is mostly due to a decline in vaccination rates and an increase in vaccination exemptions. Vaccination coverage of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot in children has declined in recent years, dropping from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% during the 2024-2025 school year.
The MMR vaccine is the best protection against measles, and it is considered highly effective and long-lasting, according to the CDC. About 92% of cases so far this year were in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.
“To stop measles virus transmission, we urgently need to address the reasons for under-vaccination in some of our communities, particularly the disinformation that leads to mistrust of measles vaccines,” Moss said.
Vaccination plays a large role in the outbreak. Just a 1% decrease in the childhood MMR vaccination rate could cause 17,000 measles cases, 4,000 hospitalizations and 36 preventable deaths each year, according to a report from the Common Health Coalition.
Recognizing Measles
Symptoms typically start one to two weeks after exposure and can include:
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red eyes
- Distinctive rash
While most people recover from measles without issue, young children and people with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to severe complications like hospitalization, pneumonia, brain swelling and death.
“Vaccination is one of the most powerful investments we can make for the health of our children, but when we fail to maintain high vaccination rates, we all pay the price,” Dr. Dave Chokshi, chair of the Common Health Coalition, said in a statement.
Measles is a highly contagious virus. According to the CDC, if one person has measles, up to nine out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected.
Updated on Aug. 7, 2026: This article has been updated with more recent information.
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Tags: measles, health, health care, public health
