(CNN) — Recent outbreaks of measles in the United States are driving up case counts and threatening the country’s elimination status, especially as vaccination rates among children lag.
Cases have now broken a record for two years in a row. Just over halfway through 2026, the country has recorded more cases than in any other year since the disease was declared eliminated in the US a quarter-century ago. It’s the worst year for measles cases since 1991.
At least two people have died in 2026, after three measles deaths in 2025 — the first reported in the United States since 2015.
CNN is monitoring these cases and updating this page each week as new national data is released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A large outbreak in West Texas accounted for at least a third of all national cases in 2025, with multiple states reporting cases with links back to Texas. State officials declared that outbreak over in mid-August, but other outbreaks continue to grow.
South Carolina has reported more measles cases in 2026 than any other state. An outbreak started raging across Spartanburg County in October; it would go on to become the largest the largest the US has seen in decades, with nearly 1,000 cases, before ending in April this year.
National data compiled by the CDC lags behind reports collected by state health agencies. Here’s the latest national snapshot of which states have reported cases in 2026.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease. It can cause serious health consequences or death, especially for young and unvaccinated children. Most of the cases involve people younger than 20.
General symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a rash of red spots. About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the United States who get measles will be hospitalized, according to the CDC.
About 1 in every 20 children will develop pneumonia, and others may develop a dangerous swelling in the brain called encephalitis. Up to 3 of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles may die from respiratory and neurologic complications.
Measles is preventable, thanks to a highly effective vaccine. Experts recommend that children get the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine in two doses: the first between 12 months and 15 months of age, and a second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is about 93% effective at preventing measles infection; two doses are about 97% effective.
The vast majority of measles cases in the US are among unvaccinated people.
Measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000. Imported cases are expected, but when vaccination rates are high, the risk of spread remains low and outbreaks are rare. Outbreaks in 2019, particularly two in underimmunized Orthodox Jewish communities in New York, also threatened US measles elimination status.
Ongoing outbreaks in multiple parts of the country are now jeopardizing the country’s measles elimination status again, and the Pan American Health Organization could decide to revoke that status when it meets in November.
“If a measles outbreak continues for a year or more, the United States could lose its measles elimination status,” according to the CDC.
Because measles is so contagious, a high level of vaccination coverage is key to minimizing spread. The United States has set a target vaccination rate of 95%, but coverage among kindergarteners has dipped below that in recent years.
MMR vaccine series completion among kindergarteners fell from 95.2% during the 2019-20 school year to 92.5% in the 2024-25 school year, leaving about 286,000 at risk, according to the CDC.
Coverage varies widely by state.
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