US measles cases 2026 hit highest level in 35 years, CDC says
CDC data show 2,318 measles cases in 2026, already topping last year as outbreaks spread in several states.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
US measles cases 2026 have reached 2,318 in the first seven months of the year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday, pushing the country past last year’s total of 2,289 cases.
The count, current through July 23, is the highest the United States has recorded in 35 years, according to CDC data cited by NBC News. The agency says 93% of people infected this year were unvaccinated.
The surge follows years of slipping childhood vaccination rates. Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician and president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, told NBC News that the United States has joined countries where vaccination coverage is no longer high enough to protect children from some highly contagious diseases.
Besser said measles tends to rise first when vaccine coverage falls because it spreads so easily. He also warned that measles can signal wider vulnerability to illnesses such as whooping cough, meningitis and chickenpox, which vaccines can help control.
Why are US measles cases rising in 2026?
Health officials and doctors quoted by NBC News pointed to lower vaccination coverage in some communities. CDC data from 2025 show 92.5% of children receive measles vaccines, while about 95% coverage is needed for herd immunity against the virus.
Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatrician and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, told NBC News the country is seeing the cost of lower vaccination rates in some communities. He also said stronger local health departments and a more fully staffed CDC could have helped limit the outbreaks.
Where are measles outbreaks happening?
New outbreaks have been reported in Arizona, Delaware and Wyoming, according to state health agencies. Pennsylvania’s Health Department has counted 132 cases, including 27 diagnosed in the past week.
Virginia has reported 177 cases, though state data show no new cases since July 4. Dr. Maria Almond, health director for Virginia’s Piedmont Health District, told NBC News that public health workers have gone door to door to encourage vaccination and connect families with care.
The CDC has sent staff to help respond to outbreaks in several states, including Virginia, NBC News reported.
Utah’s outbreak began in June 2025 in a small community near the Arizona border and has since reached every part of the state, including the Salt Lake City area. The Utah Health Department has reported more than 700 infections tied to the outbreak, including 514 cases this year.
South Carolina has also been a major driver of this year’s national rise. NBC News reported that cases in the state’s Upstate region began last fall and accelerated after Christmas. Dr. Stuart Simko, a pediatrician at Prisma Health in Greer, South Carolina, told NBC News that the state’s outbreak infected 997 people.
What does measles look like?
Measles is a viral illness that can cause fever, rash and serious complications. Simko told NBC News that children he saw during the South Carolina outbreak had high fevers, rash and severe fatigue.
Although many cases have been in children and teenagers, adults have also become seriously ill. Almond told NBC News that adults in her Virginia district suffered severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration, while Pennsylvania health data show 39% of the state’s cases have been in people under 18.
The rise has raised questions about whether the United States could lose its measles elimination status, which it has held since 2000. The Pan American Health Organization is expected to decide in November, according to NBC News.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.