Measles Cases Climb to 2000 in the US, Increasing Cases Year Over Year

The CDC announced on Friday, June 5, that there were 2030 confirmed cases of measles that were reported throughout the US in 2026 alone.¹ The cases spanned across 40 states, and only 10 of the cases were reported in visitors from other countries. The increase in cases indicates a growing trend in the country, with cases on track to double year over year.

New Outbreaks Reported in 2025

The cases have primarily been a result of the 30 new outbreaks reported in 2026 or the 48 outbreaks reported in 2025. A total of 93% of all confirmed cases in 2026 so far have been associated with these outbreaks, with 1332 cases associated with 2025 outbreaks and 558 cases associated with 2026 outbreaks. Most of the individuals who had confirmed cases of measles were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status (92%) in 2026. Other individuals who contracted the infection had either 1 or 2 doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Although 10% of those hospitalized were aged less than 5 years, there were no reported deaths through 2026.

South Carolina (669 cases), Utah (486 cases), Texas (182 cases), and Florida (141 cases) had the highest concentration of confirmed cases in the US, with all remaining states reporting fewer than 100 cases within the jurisdiction. For Utah, South Carolina, and Florida, the reported cases are significantly higher than they were through all of 2025, with Utah’s cases increasing from 189 through all of 2025 to 486 through the first half of 2026. Similarly, South Carolina’s cases increased from 333 to 669, and Florida’s increased from 8 to 141.

Alternatively, some states saw significant decreases in case load, as Kansas’s cases decreased from 91 to 1, New Mexico’s decreased from 100 to 17, and Texas decreased from 803 to 182, though the latter remains a state with high incidence.

A Continuing Trend

The number of measles cases in 2026 continues an ongoing trend toward increased cases of measles over the past several years. Previously, 2014 and 2019 saw heavily increased cases at 667 for 2014 and 1274 for 2019. Although the pandemic curtailed some of these increases, with 2024 only seeing 285 cases of measles, 2025 saw an explosion of measles cases at 2288 cases confirmed by the CDC. This has coincided with vaccination rates throughout the country dipping. Utah, Texas, and South Carolina have vaccination rates between 88.6% and 93.2%, and overall vaccination coverage has decreased from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% in the 2024-2025 school year. The recommended vaccination rate is higher than 95%.

The increased number of cases could put the elimination status of measles in the US in jeopardy, as the Pan American Health Organization is set to make a decision on elimination status in November.² The US had previously been given elimination status in 2000, indicating that measles had been eliminated from regular circulation in the country. With the new outbreaks across the country, the decision could be reversed. Canada had previously lost its elimination status in 2025, showing a consistent trend throughout the world of increased numbers of measles cases.³

References

1. Measles cases and outbreaks. CDC. June 5, 2026. Accessed June 8, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html
2. Edwards E. Measles is still spreading in the U.S., with more than 2,000 cases this year. NBC News. June 5, 2026. Accessed June 8, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/measles-outbreaks-us-cases-2026-virginia-florida-pennsylvania-rcna348630
3. Update on the review of measles elimination status. News release. Pan American Health Organization. March 2, 2026. Accessed June 8, 2026. https://www.paho.org/en/news/2-3-2026-update-review-measles-elimination-status