The United States has seen more than 1,100 cases of measles this year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday (local time), now becoming a troubling milestone that has many in public health preparing for the worst, CNN reported.
According to the CDC, one in every 1,000 children diagnosed with measles is at risk of developing encephalitis, a dangerous swelling of the brain. It also suggests that up to three out of every 1,000 infected children will die.
Is the US in for a record year for measles?
The report suggests Washington will see another record year for measles. In just two months of 2026, the number of reported cases is 1,136, roughly six times the number that typically occurs in a year, according to the CDC.
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A separate tracker maintained by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Outbreak Response Innovation recorded an even higher annual number of cases than the CDC data.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, described the country’s current measles trajectory as “disappointing, depressing and ominous,” especially since the country has a safe and affordable vaccine to protect its citizens against measles and the complications that come with it. He went on to say, “Measles is a raging infection and we should prevent it,” he said. “It can hit any healthy, normal child in the hardest way.”
Measles outbreak likely?
According to the data, the vast majority of cases reported so far this year, around 96%, have been reported in people who were not vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine or those who did not receive the recommended dose.
Of this 96%, more than 80% of cases were among children and adolescents, with approximately one in four cases reported in children under the age of five. Additionally, more than half of US states have reported a case of measles so far in 2026, with at least three large outbreaks across the country.
As of October 2025, the measles outbreak in South Carolina is the largest since measles was supposedly eliminated. The region has reported 979 cases since October, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. Spartanburg County, where the outbreak is centered, is a low vaccination coverage area. Looking at national patterns, more than 93% of measles cases in South Carolina occurred in people who did not receive the MMR vaccine, according to state health officials.
While the state has not yet reported any deaths, it has reported serious complications of measles, including pneumonia and encephalitis, which can affect a patient’s hearing or cause mental disability. After exposure to the disease, several pregnant women also require immunoglobulin treatment to help protect against a high risk of complications.
New measles cases in South Carolina have begun to slow in recent weeks. Fewer than two dozen cases were reported last week, down from about 250 cases that were reported in a week when the epidemic peaked in mid-January.
Measles outbreaks in South Carolina are linked to cases in other states
Several states have reported measles cases related to the South Carolina outbreak, including North Carolina, Washington and California, according to a CNN report. Citing state health data, the report showed North Carolina reported 23 cases last December, five times the total number of cases reported by the state over the past decade.
Measles outbreaks have also been reported in other states such as Utah and Arizona, each of which has reported more than a hundred cases since the summer. Additionally, a newer outbreak has been reported since January that is growing rapidly along the southwest coast of Florida.
Who gets infected?
Citing experts, the report suggests that while most recent measles cases have been in children, they can be just as dangerous for adults. According to Schaffner, anyone who is at risk (unvaccinated) can get it. He added that the older a person is when infected, the greater the risk of severe disease, especially complications such as pneumonia.
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He added that growing reluctance to vaccinate has made more and more young children vulnerable in recent years.
US measles cases in 2025
In 2025, the country reported roughly 2,300 measles cases, the highest number since 1991. The number of cases in 2025 also exceeded any annual number since 2000, when measles was declared eliminated. The previous highest number was reported in 2019, when the country reported 1,274 cases.
