Measles cases in the United States have surpassed 4,000 this year, according to data updated Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A total of 4,080 cases have been confirmed, with most reported by 45 states and Washington, D.C. Eighteen of this year’s total have been among international visitors to the U.S., according to the CDC.
Five measles-associated deaths have been confirmed so far in 2026, all of them in Pennsylvania, according to health officials in the state.
Health officials report 74 new measles cases in Pennsylvania
The CDC has only recognized two deaths so far this year, with the agency saying that “number is subject to change.”
The majority of measles cases in 2026 have been confirmed among children and teenagers aged 19 and younger, according to the CDC. About one in 10 children under age 5 have been hospitalized, CDC data shows.
About 95% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to agency data.
Meanwhile, 2% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 2% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.
“It’s very telling,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist and associate dean for regional campuses at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News of the breakdown in cases by vaccination status. “It’s not a surprise, but it’s chilling in many ways.”
According to Chin-Hong, the official total of confirmed cases likely does not reflect the full picture of measles in the U.S. He said it’s probable that there are many families with measles cases who never got tested.
“The story’s not been fully told yet,” he said. “In other words, the official numbers are only part of the picture and the reason why I think so is because the number of deaths and hospitalizations suggests that there are many more people who are infected but unaccounted.”
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