The United States has recorded 5,182 confirmed measles cases this year, marking the highest case total in 35 years as federal data faces disputes over mortality figures.
The total reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeds the 2,289 confirmed cases recorded in all of 2025 and represents the highest number since 1991, according to Al Jazeera. Children and teenagers account for about 59 percent of the confirmed infections, with children under five making up 18 percent and those aged five to 19 accounting for 41 percent.
Measles elimination means no strain spreads here nonstop for 12 months. The U. S. reached it in 2000. This week, a PAHO panel reviews it. Johns Hopkins counts 5,400 cases in 2026. Save and send to a parent: https://t.co/VHt4y9dbbM Read & subscribe for free:… pic.twitter.com/Uve67kOxeR
It’s astounding to me, said Elizabeth Jacobs. “I’m just beside myself about all of this.” “I literally cannot believe this is happening in the United States,” said Elizabeth Jacobs, a professor emeritus at the University of Arizona.
Elimination Status Review
As case numbers climb, an independent commission of experts appointed by the Pan American Health Organization is meeting in Washington, D.C., to evaluate whether the United States has lost its measles elimination status, a distinction held since 2000, according to CIDRAP. A country loses elimination status if transmission is re-established and continues uninterrupted for at least 12 months.
“.. experts convening on Tuesday to decide whether the United States should lose its official designation as a nation that has eliminated measles.”@nytimes https://t.co/YAozbJwKeU pic.twitter.com/PtWLnjXHqQ
Taking place from November 10 to 13, the sixth annual session is held by PAHO’s Measles and Rubella Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission. The Regional Verification Commission is an independent technical body of infectious disease experts that reports directly to PAHO.
Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told Yahoo News that revoking the status would formalize conditions observed on the ground for months.
PAHO's commission is meeting this week on whether the US keeps its measles elimination status. The US had 85 cases the year it eliminated measles in 2000. This year it's past 5,100. It may come down to sequencing, whether outbreaks across states trace to one lineage for 12… pic.twitter.com/R9lZIsJTmX
“When a semi hits your car at 60 miles an hour at an intersection, you don’t need more assessments showing you’ve had an accident,” Osterholm said.
Throughout 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has logged upward of 5,100 measles cases, with the total potentially exceeding 7,000 prior to year’s end. Outbreaks numbering 43 are newly documented by the CDC in 2026, which notes that 96% of total cases—specifically 4,993 out of 5,182—are tied to outbreaks, with 3,608 originating in 2026 and 1,385 stemming from outbreaks that started in 2025.
My comments with @ABC @MaryKekatos about meetings this week to examine America’s measles elimination statushttps://t.co/QxvE5wulz0
Brown University Pandemic Center director and epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, pointed out that domestic measles outbreaks are concurrently sustaining themselves and generating new ones, resulting in continuous, unbroken transmission.
Federal and State Figures Report Different Death Tolls
Federal and state figures on fatalities have diverged during the current outbreak. While the CDC lists four deaths nationwide, state departments of health report higher totals, led by Pennsylvania with six deaths and 1,487 confirmed cases across 45 counties, according to NationofChange.
Local health departments have reported eight deaths connected to the outbreaks this year. Wisconsin reported 431 cases, including the death of an infant — the state’s first measles-related fatality since 1990, according to Ua.
The federal count became the subject of a dispute between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding how measles deaths are classified, according to Al Jazeera. Pennsylvania records measles-associated deaths when a patient with confirmed measles dies within 30 days of developing symptoms unless the death results from an unrelated event.
Following questions from vaccine skeptic Kennedy regarding whether measles caused or contributed to the fatalities, the CDC pulled the deaths from its national count after initially including them, as reported by Al Jazeera and other outlets. In response, the CDC announced it is collaborating with the US Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to formulate a uniform definition for measles mortality.
Declining Immunization Levels Drive the Measles Resurgence
Public health officials attribute the resurgence to declining immunization coverage. Citing Al Jazeera and Ua reports, immunization levels among American kindergartners dropped from 95.2 percent in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4 percent for 2025-2026, dipping below the mandatory 95 percent herd immunity benchmark.
Coverage varies significantly by state and district. Eighteen states report MMR vaccination rates below 90 percent, with Idaho recording 75.2 percent, according to Yahoo News. A study published in Nature Health in January identified multiple counties nationwide with MMR vaccination coverage under 60 percent, according to Yahoo News.
“We have a situation right now where, in a state like Minnesota, with one of the most progressive public health departments in the country, we have schools that have 80 percent level of vaccination, [and] we have a number of school districts that are at the 40 percent level,” Osterholm said.
The CDC reports that 96 percent of nationwide cases are in individuals who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to Ideastream Public Media. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97 percent protection against infection, according to CIDRAP.
Earlier coverage: U.S. Measles Cases Surpass 5,100 as Elimination Status Faces Risk