The United States has recorded 2,371 confirmed measles cases so far in 2026, the highest annual total since 1991, according to figures published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on 31 July covering cases reported to 30 July.
The count has already passed the 2,289 cases recorded across the whole of 2025, with five months of the year remaining.
How is the outbreak spreading?
The CDC has logged 37 new outbreaks in 2026. It reported that 2,219 of the 2,371 confirmed cases, or 94 per cent, are associated with outbreaks, defined as three or more linked cases. Of those, 846 stem from outbreaks that began this year and 1,373 from clusters carried over from 2025.
All but 16 cases were acquired within the United States, across 45 jurisdictions. The remainder were linked to international travel.
| Measure | 2026 (to 30 July) | 2025 (full year) |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed cases | 2,371 | 2,289 |
| Hospitalised | 7% | 11% |
| Deaths | 0 | 3 |
How many measles cases are there in the US in 2026?
As of 30 July 2026, the United States had recorded 2,371 confirmed measles cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This exceeds the 2,289 cases reported across all of 2025 and represents the highest annual figure since 1991. Thirty-seven new outbreaks have been reported in 2026, and 94 per cent of confirmed cases are linked to outbreaks. Twenty per cent of cases involve children under five and 49 per cent involve those aged five to nineteen. Seven per cent of patients have been hospitalised, down from 11 per cent in 2025, and no deaths have been recorded this year, compared with three in 2025. The United States was declared to have eliminated measles in 2000 and may lose that status when the Pan American Health Organization reviews transmission data later in the year.
Who is affected?
Children account for most cases. Twenty per cent are aged under five and 49 per cent are between five and nineteen. Seven per cent of patients have been hospitalised, a lower share than the 11 per cent recorded in 2025, and no deaths have been reported this year against three last year.
The largest active cluster is in Utah, which has recorded 514 cases in 2026. Arizona has 120 and Washington state 53, more than four times its 2025 total.
Why are cases rising?
The CDC has reported that 93 per cent of those infected were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. Childhood immunisation rates in the United States have declined over more than a decade.
The federal response has been limited in scale. The CDC has operated without a permanent director for most of the current administration, and has deployed staff to assist state health departments in several states, including Virginia.
What is at stake?
CNN reported that an outbreak along the Utah-Arizona state line has continued for more than a year, a threshold that matters because continuous transmission for twelve months can cost a country its elimination status.
The United States was declared measles-free in 2000. Officials at the Pan American Health Organization are due to review the data in November. A South Carolina outbreak that began in October reached almost 1,000 cases before ending in April, the largest single cluster the country has seen in decades.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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