WASHINGTON, November 7 (Aalimi Nation) – US measles cases have passed 5,000 for the first time since 1991, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency has confirmed 5,182 cases in 2026 so far, the highest count in 35 years.
The CDC figure is more than double the 2,289 cases reported in all of 2025. As of November 5, the count was up 330 cases, or 6.8 per cent, from the 4,852 reported in the previous weekly update.
Children under five account for 18 per cent of cases, and those aged five to 19 account for 41 per cent, so children and teenagers together make up about 59 per cent. Of the total, 4,993 cases are linked to outbreaks.
Pennsylvania is the worst-hit state. Its Department of Health reports 1,487 cases and six measles-associated deaths this year. Officials in the state have described an outbreak across dozens of counties, and its most recent death was an unvaccinated resident of Jefferson County.
The CDC's national tally lists four measles deaths in 2026, while state health departments have reported more. Pennsylvania counts a death as measles-associated if a confirmed case dies within 30 days of the onset of symptoms, unless an unrelated event caused the death.
In August, Pennsylvania reported two deaths in unvaccinated patients. The CDC first added them to the national count and later removed them after US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been sceptical of vaccines, questioned whether measles had caused or contributed to the deaths. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Kennedy are on opposite sides of the dispute.
The CDC said it is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to settle on a standard definition for a measles death. Infectious disease experts say the agency's current position departs from the long-standing approach used by the World Health Organization and the CDC itself to track measles-associated deaths.
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States more than two decades ago. Kindergarten vaccination coverage has since slipped, falling from 95.2 per cent in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4 per cent in 2025-2026, according to CDC data.
Cases are also rising worldwide, particularly in communities where vaccine scepticism is common or access to health care is limited. Experts note that a decline in vaccination in one area can leave people far away vulnerable, which makes prevention a shared responsibility across borders.
The CDC publishes updated counts weekly, so the national total is expected to keep rising while outbreaks continue. The outcome of the effort to agree on a standard definition of a measles death will determine whether the national tally and state figures can be reconciled.
