CDC Reports Six Measles Deaths in the US in 2026
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported six measles-related deaths in the country in 2026, according to figures published Thursday. The Guardian reported that the six deaths are twice the number recorded in 2025.
The deaths have also been reported at the state level. Pennsylvania officials confirmed six measles-associated deaths in the state in 2026. In New York, a child died on election day, the first known measles-related death there in more than three decades. Wisconsin health officials later confirmed the death of an infant, days after the New York death. The CDC has changed how it tracks measles deaths and now uses data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a federal agency that compiles national health records, according to a note the agency published on September 4.
The CDC is also working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, a group of state and territorial disease experts, to develop a standard definition of what counts as a measles death.
Measles cases have climbed sharply. The Guardian reported more than 5,400 cases nationwide. CDC data as of November 5 showed 5,182 confirmed cases in 2026, with 5,164 reported by 47 jurisdictions, meaning states and other reporting areas, and 18 among international visitors to the United States. The CDC's count includes only confirmed cases reported to it and leaves out probable cases reported by jurisdictions.
The CDC reported 43 outbreaks in 2026, and 96 percent of confirmed cases, or 4,993 of 5,182, were linked to them. The agency defines an outbreak as three or more related cases. Of the outbreak-linked cases, 3,608 came from outbreaks that began in 2026 and 1,385 from outbreaks that began in 2025.
For comparison, the CDC reported 2,289 confirmed cases in 2025, across 48 outbreaks, with 90 percent of cases outbreak-associated. In 2024, it reported 285 cases and 16 outbreaks, with 69 percent of cases linked to outbreaks.
The Guardian reported that the US is experiencing its largest measles outbreak since 1991. Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, a status that means the virus was no longer spreading continuously within the country.
