WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - As of June 4, 2026, the United States had reported 2,030 confirmed measles cases across 40 jurisdictions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This figure is already close to the record 2,288 cases reported during the whole of 2025.
The disease continues to spread mainly among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated communities, including infants who are too young to receive the vaccine. Health experts say the rise in cases highlights ongoing challenges related to vaccine misinformation and public health awareness.
A June 2, 2026, alert from the Pan American Health Organization reported 20,521 confirmed measles cases and 25 deaths across the Americas during the first five months of 2026, representing a fourfold increase compared with the same period last year.
Among US states, South Carolina recorded the highest number of cases with 669, followed by Utah with 486, Texas with 182, and Florida with 141. Utah, South Carolina, and Florida have all reported significantly more cases than they did during all of 2025. Utah's cases increased from 189 in 2025 to 486 in the first half of 2026, while South Carolina's rose from 333 to 669 and Florida's jumped from 8 to 141.
Some states, however, have seen a decline in measles cases. Kansas reported just one case compared with 91 in 2025, while New Mexico's total dropped from 100 to 17. Texas also saw a decrease from 803 cases in 2025 to 182 so far in 2026, though it remains one of the states with the highest case counts.
The increase in measles cases continues a broader trend seen in recent years. The US reported 667 cases in 2014 and 1,274 cases in 2019. While the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily slowed the spread, with only 285 cases reported in 2024, the number surged to 2,288 in 2025.
According to CDC data, 92% of people infected with measles in 2026 were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. A smaller number of cases occurred in people who had received one or two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Children under the age of five accounted for 10% of hospitalizations.
Health officials said that the vaccination coverage among schoolchildren has dropped from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% in 2024-2025. States such as Utah, Texas, and South Carolina have vaccination rates ranging from 88.6% to 93.2%, below the recommended level of more than 95% needed to help prevent outbreaks.
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