According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 3,134 confirmed measles cases in the United States as of September 4, 2026, representing the highest annual total in over 35 years. Of these cases, 3,118 were reported across 47 U.S. jurisdictions, while 16 involved international visitors. The CDC has documented 38 new measles outbreaks this year, a decrease from the 48 outbreaks recorded in 2025. Measles-related hospitalizations have reached 248, accounting for 8% of cases, compared to 244 hospitalizations and three deaths in 2025.
The CDC has not yet included two measles-associated deaths reported by Pennsylvania on August 25 in its official tally, as the agency is reviewing whether the disease caused or contributed to the fatalities. Reuters reported that U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. requested the removal of a reference to these two deaths from the CDC’s online measles count. Approximately 94% of the measles cases have occurred among individuals who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown. The recent surge in measles cases over the past two years aligns with a steady decline in childhood MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination rates since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The total number of measles cases in 2026 is the highest recorded in a single year since a major resurgence between 1989 and 1991, during which over 55,000 infections and 123 deaths were documented. Read more at Yahoo News