CDC reports third US measles death of 2026 as cases reach 4,410

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a third measles death in the country this year on October 20, 2026, as nationwide cases reached 4,410 as of October 15. Al Jazeera

The agency did not say in which state the death occurred. It said the death was added after its National Center for Health Statistics, the federal unit that codes information from death certificates, verified that measles was listed as the underlying cause of death.

The federal count differs from the tally in Pennsylvania, the center of the current surge. The state had reported 1,286 measles cases and five measles-associated deaths as of October 19, with cases spreading beyond Lancaster County to 42 counties as of October 20.

The difference reflects how deaths are counted. The CDC said it now relies on mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics rather than reports from state health departments for its measles death count. It said it is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, an organization representing state disease investigators, to establish a standardised definition for measles deaths.

Most of this year's cases are tied to the spread from person to person in defined clusters. As of October 15, 4,392 cases were reported by 47 jurisdictions, with 18 additional cases among international visitors, according to CDC data published October 16. The agency defines an outbreak as three or more related cases, and said 42 new outbreaks had been reported in 2026.

Of the confirmed U.S. cases, 96%, or 4,228 of 4,410, were linked to outbreaks. That includes 2,844 cases tied to outbreaks that began in 2026 and 1,384 tied to outbreaks that began in 2025. The CDC data include only confirmed cases reported to the agency by local jurisdictions, not probable cases.

The totals are well above recent years. In all of 2025, the United States recorded 2,289 confirmed cases, with 26 cases among international visitors and 48 outbreaks, 90% of cases outbreak-associated. In 2024, there were 16 outbreaks, with 69% of cases, or 198 of 285, linked to outbreaks.

Measles remains widespread outside the United States. The CDC has cited an estimated 10.3 million infections globally in 2023, with outbreaks occurring in every region of the world.