- The United States has recorded 2,318 measles cases in 2026 as of Friday, surpassing the 2,289 cases reported for the entirety of 2025 and marking it as the worst year for the disease since 1991.
- Major outbreaks are currently active in South Carolina, Utah, and Arizona, contributing significantly to the rising national tally, with smaller clusters also emerging in other states.
- The U.S. is at risk of losing its measles-free status, achieved in 2000, due to declining vaccination rates, which have fallen to 92.5% among kindergartners in 2024-25, below the 95% threshold required for herd immunity.
- Official measles case counts are widely considered underreported, with experts estimating that actual numbers in outbreaks like those in Utah and Texas could be two to four times higher than currently known, due to factors like people not seeking treatment and the virus's high contagiousness.
- Infections can lead to brain swelling, pneumonia, fever, ear infections and a rash - but taking the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine can prevent illness. Public health officials and physicians stress the critical importance of high vaccination coverage, not only for individual protection but also to safeguard vulnerable populations, such as infants and immunocompromised individuals, who cannot receive vaccines.
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