U.S. measles cases reach 35-year high in 2026, surpassing last year's total

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that the United States has logged 2,318 measles cases in the first seven months of this year, surpassing last year's total of 2,289. It's the largest number of measles cases the U.S. has seen in 35 years, and comes amid a decadeslong slide in childhood vaccination rates. The majority of infected people — 93%, according to the CDC — are unvaccinated. "We have joined the rank of countries where vaccination is not reaching the levels needed to protect all of our children against some of the most contagious diseases," said Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician and president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "Measles is the canary in the coal mine. What it's saying is that our communities are vulnerable, not just from measles, but from whooping cough, meningitis, chicken pox and other diseases that are readily controllable with vaccines. We're on a crash course." The wave has been building since January 2025. The CDC has sent staffers to help with outbreaks in several states, including Virginia. The federal health response to ongoing measles outbreaks, however, has been minimal. The CDC has been without a permanent director for the majority of President Donald Trump's second term, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, has distanced himself from news of ongoing outbreaks.