The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the 2026 measles case figures in an update on Friday. The data confirms that the current outbreak levels have exceeded the previous year's totals, which stood at 2,289 cases. The 2,318 measles cases recorded in 2026 represent the highest number since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

Nearly 400 people have been hospitalized with measles in the U.S. in 2025 and 2026. Three people have died from measles in the U.S. in 2025 and 2026, and at least three people suffered brain swelling with lingering symptoms from measles in the U.S. in 2025 and 2026.

South Carolina has recorded 997 measles cases, which is more than any other state in 2026. The state is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in 35 years. A measles outbreak in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, started in October 2025 and ended in April 2026, resulting in nearly 1,000 cases.

There have been 35 new measles outbreaks in the U.S. in 2026. An outbreak along the Utah-Arizona state line has persisted for more than a year. Measles outbreaks in the U.S. have persisted for longer than 12 months in multiple instances.

Most measles cases in the U.S. are among children, and nearly all of them are unvaccinated. National vaccination rates for kindergartners against measles, mumps, and rubella dropped to 92.5 percent in the 2024-2025 school year. A 95 percent community vaccination rate is needed to prevent measles outbreaks.

"What we’re able to count and report is almost always an underestimate of what actually occurred, because it relies on people being willing to be able to get tested, to share information with healthcare providers and with public health," said Varun Shetty, chief epidemiologist for the state of Texas. "Sometimes that just doesn’t happen."

Shetty added that high immunization levels remain essential for population safety. "It’s really critical, not only for individual people, but for communities, to have high vaccination coverage," he said.

The United States eliminated local measles spread in 2000. The U.S. no longer meets the main criterion for having eliminated measles as a public health threat, which requires sporadic outbreaks to fizzle out within a year. The Pan American Health Organization evaluates the measles elimination status of countries in North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean.

"The assessment for elimination isn’t until November, but that is a scheduling issue, basically," said Anne Schuchat, former CDC immunization and respiratory disease group leader. The Pan American Health Organization will make decisions on measles elimination status at an annual meeting in the fall.

"This essentially is a public health failure, and it’s avoidable," said Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The CDC is set to finalize a comprehensive study of the nation’s measles situation examining data from January 2025 through June 2026. A national committee of measles specialists will review the CDC’s internal measles report.

The resurgence of measles in the United States marks a reversal of public health gains made since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. With 2,318 cases recorded in 2026, the nation faces its most severe measles activity in decades, driven largely by declining vaccination rates among young children. The drop in kindergarten vaccination coverage to 92.5 percent falls below the 95 percent threshold required to maintain community immunity, leaving populations vulnerable to sustained transmission.

The prolonged nature of recent outbreaks, including those lasting more than a year, indicates that the U.S. no longer meets the criteria for measles elimination. This shift has triggered reviews by both domestic and international health bodies, including the Pan American Health Organization, which will assess the country's status later this year. The humanitarian cost includes hundreds of hospitalizations, several deaths, and cases of severe neurological complications, showing the consequences of gaps in immunization coverage.