US Measles Cases Top 5,000 for the First Time Since 1991 as Eight Deaths Are Reported

The United States is living through its worst measles year in more than three decades. Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on November 6 show 5,182 confirmed cases so far in 2026, the first time the annual tally has topped 5,000 since 1991, according to ABC News and The Washington Post.

Cases have been confirmed in 45 states and the District of Columbia, with 18 involving international visitors. This year's count is already more than double the total for all of 2025, which was itself one of the worst years since the disease was declared eliminated.

Deaths and hospitalizations

State health officials have reported eight measles-associated deaths in 2026: six in Pennsylvania, one in New York and one in Wisconsin. The CDC has so far confirmed four of them and says its count is "subject to change."

Several of the deaths were announced in just the past week. ABC News reports that New York disclosed a child's death on Wednesday, the state's first known measles death in more than 30 years, and that Wisconsin reported an infant's death on Thursday, its first since 1990. Pennsylvania confirmed the death of an unvaccinated Jefferson County resident.

Key figures from the CDC data:

• 96% of patients were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status; about 2% had one MMR dose and about 2% had two;
• the largest share of cases is among children and teenagers aged 5 to 19;
• at least 11% of patients have been hospitalized, including more than one in ten children under five;
• MMR coverage among kindergartners fell from 95.2% in the 2019-20 school year to 92.4% in 2025-26.

Why measles is coming back

Measles is among the most contagious diseases known. It spreads through the air and can cause pneumonia, brain swelling and death, particularly in young children. It is also highly preventable: according to the CDC, one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is 93% effective and two doses are 97% effective. U.S. health guidance calls for the first dose at 12 to 15 months and the second at 4 to 6 years.

Public health experts generally consider coverage of around 95% necessary to keep measles from spreading. When vaccination among young children slips below that level, imported cases can take hold and move quickly through under-vaccinated communities, which is the pattern seen in this year's outbreaks.

Elimination status at risk

The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning there had been no continuous local transmission for more than 12 months. That status is now in question. As CNN reported earlier this year, the Pan American Health Organization moved its review of the U.S. situation to the regular annual meeting of its verification commission in November. The commission is expected to examine whether current outbreaks are linked to the epidemic that began in West Texas in January 2025. If they are, the country could lose its elimination status, as Canada did in November 2025.

Why it matters

The U.S. surge is a warning well beyond America's borders. Countries such as Ukraine have also struggled with vaccination rates below recommended levels, and war has made access to routine care harder. The American experience shows that even in a country with an advanced health system, a drop of just a few percentage points in childhood immunization can translate into hundreds of hospitalizations and the deaths of children. Doctors stress that two timely doses of the vaccine remain the most reliable protection.