U.S. measles cases hit 35-year high as vaccination rates decline

U.S. Measles cases hit 35-year high as vaccination rates decline

The United States is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in 35 years, according to official figures released Friday, July 24, 2026. In the first seven months of the year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 2,318 confirmed cases of the highly contagious illness.

This current tally already surpasses the total for 2025, a year that had previously shattered records with 2,289 cases and three deaths, including two young children. The last time the U.S. Saw case counts this high was in 1991, when 9,643 cases were recorded.

The resurgence follows a period of declining vaccination rates and growing distrust in health authorities. While the U.S. Declared measles eradicated in 2000, national vaccination rates for measles, mumps, and rubella have slipped. Among kindergartners, coverage dropped to 92.5% in the 2024-25 school year, down from 95.2% in 2019-20. Health experts state that a coverage rate of 95% is required to prevent outbreaks.

The crisis has reached several states with varying degrees of severity. South Carolina reported the nation's largest outbreak in 35 years with 997 cases, though the state health department believes this is an undercount. In Utah, where the virus has been fought for over a year, more than 700 people have fallen ill. State epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen noted that mathematical modeling suggests a large outbreak on the Utah-Arizona border could be three to four times larger than currently known.

Pennsylvania has reported 139 cases so far this year, the state's highest count in three decades and more than eight times the number of cases seen in 2025. These cases have led to 25 hospitalizations. Local outbreaks include Lancaster County, which has reported 75 cases since April, and Chester County, where 13 cases have been confirmed since April. Nearby, Delaware declared an outbreak on Wednesday with four cases, and New Jersey has recorded one case in 2026.

Public health officials warn that official numbers likely underrepresent the true scope of the spread. Dr. Varun Shetty, Texas' chief state epidemiologist, stated that reporting relies on people being willing to get tested and share information, which sometimes that just doesn’t happen.

In Texas, researchers found that a 2025 outbreak might have been nearly twice the size of the 762 known cases. Similarly, in Gaines County, Texas, 182 probable measles cases among minors went unconfirmed in March 2025 due to a lack of information, despite 414 confirmed cases in that county.

Challenges in tracking the virus have also appeared in Pennsylvania. Jeanne Franklin, the Chester County health director, said some exposed residents have refused to provide contact tracers with detailed information or have hung up the phone. Franklin noted that many patients only seek treatment when they become seriously ill, meaning milder cases are likely unreported.

The impact is felt most by those who cannot be vaccinated, such as young babies and people with weak immune systems. Dr. Mark Roberts, retired director of the Public Health Dynamics Lab at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, compared skipping vaccination to driving a car without brakes, noting that it endangers other people on the road.

The disease causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and skin rashes, but can lead to pneumonia and brain inflammation. Every measles case in Pennsylvania this year was diagnosed in individuals who were not fully vaccinated. The virus can infect up to 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to it.

Critics point to the influence of federal policy and public rhetoric. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary under President Donald Trump, has been accused of contributing to the crisis by fueling fears of proven immunizations and spreading anti-vaccine sentiment.

Efforts to curb the spread continue. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has administered nearly 2,000 vaccines in the last year, and Chester County staffers are traveling to residents' homes to provide vaccinations.

International health officials are scheduled to meet in November to determine if the U.S. And Mexico have officially lost their measles-free status.