The CDC has confirmed a third measles death in 2026 as the national case count reaches 4,410, nearly twice the total for all of 2025.
By the numbers: The United States had 4,410 confirmed cases as of October 15, compared with 2,289 in all of 2025 and 285 in 2024. The CDC has logged 42 new outbreaks this year.
- 96% of 2026 cases, or 4,228 people, are associated with outbreaks. Cases have been reported by 47 US jurisdictions, and 18 additional cases involved international visitors.
- MMR coverage among kindergartners fell from 95.2% in the 2019 to 2020 school year to 92.4% in 2025 to 2026, leaving about 280,000 kindergartners at risk.
The big picture: Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning continuous domestic transmission had stopped. Imported infections can still spread rapidly when they reach communities with pockets of lower vaccination.
Yes, but: The federal death total can change as reviews are completed, and state counts update on different schedules. The CDC is working with state epidemiologists on a standardized definition for classifying measles deaths.
What they're saying: The CDC calls measles extremely infectious and potentially severe. Two MMR doses are 97% effective at preventing it, while one dose is 93% effective.
Why it matters: Families should check vaccination records before holiday travel and ask a clinician about MMR if protection is incomplete. A disease the country eliminated is again causing thousands of cases because community immunity has slipped below its 95% target.
