The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed more than 5,000 measles cases this year, the most since 1991 when the U.S. saw more than 9,600 measles cases.
The vast majority of the measles cases come from 46 states and the District, with 18 occurring among international travelers to the U.S.
The only four states that have not had any measles cases confirmed by the CDC in 2026 are Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi and Nevada.
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Most of the cases are related to outbreaks, with more than 3,600 stemming from 43 outbreaks this year and over 1,300 from outbreaks that began in 2025, the CDC said.
Nearly 2,300 cases of measles were confirmed in the U.S. last year, surpassing the over 2,100 cases confirmed in 1992.
Health officials in three states reported new deaths from measles this week.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health said Wednesday that an unvaccinated resident in Jefferson County, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, contracted measles and died. It was the sixth measles death in the state this year amid an outbreak with more than 1,400 cases across 45 counties.
The New York State Department of Health announced Monday that a child in Lewis County, northeast of Syracuse, had died from measles, the first in the state in more than 30 years. The infant was unvaccinated, according to WABC-TV.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said Thursday that an infant had died in the southwestern part of the state from measles, the first such death recorded in Wisconsin since 1990. State officials did not specify the baby’s vaccination status.
All three state health departments and the CDC recommend that people get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. One dose of the vaccine is about 93% effective at preventing measles, while both doses are 97% effective.
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