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US Measles Cases Top 5,400, CDC Reports

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In Short: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 5,412 measles infections across 45 states, with 10 deaths.

Measles-cases-historical-us-states-heatmap.

CDC Confirms Over 5,400 Measles Cases in Worst US Outbreak in 35 Years. Anish Kumar

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Friday that the number of measles cases in the United States has risen to 5,412, marking the highest annual total since 1991.

Wisconsin and Pennsylvania each reported an additional measles death, bringing the total number of deaths to 10. Seven of these deaths occurred in Pennsylvania, one in New York, and two in Wisconsin.

Health officials noted that the number of kindergartners vaccinated with the measles vaccine dropped from 95% in 2019 to 92% in 2026, contributing to the resurgence of the disease.

Experts suggest that nearly one to three of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles die from respiratory and neurological complications.

The CDC also reported that 591 measles-related hospitalizations have occurred this year, with Pennsylvania alone reporting 290 hospitalizations.

In Pennsylvania, the state health department has reported 1,505 measles cases as of November 9, surpassing 1,000 cases this year.

Children and teenagers make up almost 60 percent of confirmed cases, highlighting the vulnerability of younger populations.

The Pan-American Health Organization is meeting in Washington, D.C., to discuss whether the United States should lose its measles elimination status.

The CDC is excluding two measles deaths reported by Pennsylvania health officials last week from its latest update of national measles data.

The resurgence of measles cases in the United States is attributed to vaccine skepticism and under-vaccinated communities, with infectious disease experts predicting as many as 6,500 confirmed cases by the end of 2026.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine comes in two doses.
• NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health officials said Monday, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades.
• The United States is experiencing a resurgence in measles cases in 2026, with federal health data revealing that infections are increasing in certain areas of the country.

What's still developing

• The CDC says 5,412 infections have been reported across 45 states.
• Herd immunity is typically provided at 95% vaccination rates in communities.
• A country is considered as having eliminated the measles if there are "no locally transmitted measles infections or outbreaks lasting 12 months or longer," according to the World Health Organization.
• In the decade between 1953 and 1963, nearly all children in the U.S. caught measles before they turned 15, with an estimated 3 to 4 million people infected each year and tens of thousands hospitalized, according to the CDC.
• But in the United States, measles outbreaks are both sustaining themselves and seeding new outbreaks, creating a perpetual state of transmission, explained epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, director of Brown University's Pandemic Center.
• Experts told Health Policy Watch that the shifting vaccination landscape and persistent cases globally have fueled the worst outbreak since 1991.
• An unvaccinated resident of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania has died following a confirmed measles infection, marking the sixth measles-associated fatality in the state this year, according to the PA Department of Health (DOH).
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 4,588 cases across the country, more than double the tally in 2025 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 4,588 cases across the country, more than double the tally in 2025 Federal health authorities reported an additional 178 cases of measles in the US this week, as the vaccine-preventable illness continues to sicken people across at least 43 outbreaks.
• Pennsylvania has the most reported measles cases in the country, with more than 1,000 people having sought help for the illness.
• In 2026, there have been 43 new outbreaks and 96% of confirmed cases are "outbreak-associated" (3,020 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,384 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

Sources

• ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videoslink
• CBS Newslink
• CIDRAPlink
• Health Policy Watchlink
• Medscapelink
• Newsweeklink
• WHEC.comlink
• Ars Technicalink
• Al Jazeeralink
• NBC Newslink
• Respiratory-Therapylink
• Dailyjournallink
• The Guardianlink
• Democracynowlink
• Nbcphiladelphialink
• Redbluffdailynewslink
• Anish Kumar — video link