US Measles Cases Set 35-Year Record With 5 months Left in 2026

The United States has confirmed more measles cases in 2026 than in any year since 1991, with 5 months still remaining on the calendar.¹ The Johns Hopkins University measles tracker counted 2295 cases as of July 22, edging past the 2289 cases reported for the full year of 2025 and marking the highest annual total since measles was declared eliminated in the country in 2000.²

CDC's own weekly count, updated July 16, put the confirmed national total at 2260 cases across 44 states and jurisdictions, with 34 outbreaks reported in 2026.¹ Ninety-three percent of confirmed cases, or 2108 of 2260, are linked to an active outbreak, and 6% of patients, or 146 people, have been hospitalized; no measles deaths have been reported in 2026, compared with 3 in 2025.¹

South Carolina and Utah have driven much of the year's measles case growth, with 670 and 518 cases, respectively, followed by Texas at 182, according to CDC data compiled by Johns Hopkins researchers.³ William Moss, MD, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the country's early climb past last year's full-year total reflects the size of the outbreaks that took hold earlier in 2026, particularly in South Carolina and Utah.²

CDC data show 2026 total has surpassed all of 2025 case counts

The tally has grown steadily through the summer: CDC counted 2170 cases by July 2, 2231 by July 9, and 2,260 by July 16, a pace of roughly 30 to 40 new confirmed cases per week.¹ Nearly all 2026 cases are occurring in unvaccinated or under-vaccinated people, and kindergarten MMR coverage has fallen from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% in 2024-2025, below the 95% threshold needed for community immunity.¹ The Pan American Health Organization is scheduled to review the country's measles elimination status in November, though surpassing last year's total alone does not by itself change the country's status.¹

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Who Is Most at Risk, and How Measles Spreads

Measles is among the most contagious viruses known, capable of infecting up to 9 of 10 unprotected people sharing a room with someone who is infectious.¹ Symptoms typically appear 7 to 14 days after exposure and include high fever, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis, followed by a characteristic rash; complications can include ear infections, pneumonia, and encephalitis, brain inflammation that can cause permanent damage or death.¹

People at greatest risk include unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children and adults, infants younger than 12 months who are too young for the MMR vaccine, people with weakened immune systems, and travelers moving to or from countries with active measles circulation.¹ Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, and one dose is 93% effective, though breakthrough infections can still occur in communities experiencing large outbreaks that could push the country toward endemic measles.

The current national total remains well below the more than 9,600 cases reported in 1991, before widespread vaccination drove measles to historic lows.³ Still, surpassing last year's full total before August raises the possibility 2026 could end as the worst measles year in the country since before elimination was declared.²

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measles cases and outbreaks. Weekly data updated July 16, 2026. Accessed July 23, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

2. Vision Monday Staff. Measles cases set 35-year US record with months to go in 2026. VisionMonday. Published July 22, 2026. Accessed July 23, 2026. https://www.visionmonday.com/eyecare/health-watch/article/measles-cases-set-35year-us-record-with-months-to-go-in-2026

3. Staff. US measles cases surpass last year's total: tracker. Axios. Published July 22, 2026. Accessed July 23, 2026. https://www.axios.com/2026/07/22/measles-cases-surge-past-last-year