U.S. Measles Cases Hit 3-Decade High in 2026
By mid-July, this year's measles case count had already surpassed all of 2025's total, as falling vaccination rates fuel outbreaks nationwide.
The United States has recorded its highest number of measles cases in more than 30 years in 2026, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked by CBS News.
By mid-July, the case count had already surpassed all of 2025, which itself had been the worst year in recent history with more than 2,200 confirmed cases. The ongoing outbreaks have put the country at risk of losing its official measles elimination status, which it has held since 2000.
Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases known. In severe cases, it can cause infections in the lungs and brain that lead to cognitive issues, deafness or death. The disease is preventable through vaccination, which medical research has repeatedly shown to be safe and highly effective.
Of the 2,289 confirmed cases in 2025, more than 750 were tied to an outbreak in West Texas that killed two children. Before 2025, the highest recent U.S. total was 1,274 cases in 2019, driven by outbreaks in New York, California and Washington state. Most years, totals have been far lower.
Health experts point to declining vaccination rates as the main driver behind the recent surge. The vast majority of cases have occurred in unvaccinated people, and outbreaks have spread fastest in communities with lower immunization rates.
CDC data shows about 92.5% of kindergartners nationwide were vaccinated during the 2024–2025 school year, down from 95.2% in 2019–2020 — the threshold considered necessary to maintain community, or herd, immunity. Only 10 states reached the 95% mark last year.
"When more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, most people are protected through community immunity," the CDC has said.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, said it remains important for parents to vaccinate their children. "I think that parents, for most kids, especially for the measles vaccines, the DTP, all the standard childhood vaccines, it's very important that parents vaccinate their kids," he said.
Research has found no evidence that vaccinated children have higher rates of autism than unvaccinated children, and vaccines undergo extensive safety testing before approval.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
