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U.S. measles cases reach 35-year high in 2026, surpassing 2025 total
NBC News • • health
Key Points:
- The U.S. has reported 2,318 measles cases in the first seven months of 2025, surpassing last year's total and marking the highest number in 35 years, largely due to declining childhood vaccination rates.
- About 93% of those infected are unvaccinated, with outbreaks spreading across multiple states including Texas, Arizona, Delaware, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Utah, and South Carolina.
- Public health efforts include door-to-door vaccination campaigns, but federal response has been limited amid leadership vacancies and skepticism from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Measles is highly contagious and serves as an indicator of vulnerability to other vaccine-preventable diseases, with recent outbreaks causing severe illness and deaths, including among adults.
- The U.S. risks losing its measles elimination status, achieved in 2000, pending a decision by the Pan American Health Organization expected in November.
