US Measles Cases Surpass 2,000 for Second Consecutive Year, Elimination Status at Risk
核心洞察
The CDC has confirmed 2,030 measles (搜索) cases in the US as of June 4, 2026, with 93% linked to outbreaks and cases reported across 38 states and the District of Columbia.
This marks the second year in a row that measles (搜索) cases have exceeded 2,000, rapidly approaching the full-year 2025 total of 2,288 cases.
About 92% of cases are among unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status, and kindergarten MMR coverage has fallen to 92.5%, well below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks.
The United States has recorded 2,030 confirmed measles (搜索) cases so far in 2026, surpassing the 2,000-case threshold for the second consecutive year, according to data updated Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (搜索) (CDC). As of June 4, 93% of these cases — or 1,890 — have been associated with outbreaks, and 30 new measles outbreaks have been confirmed this year.
Cases have been confirmed across 38 states and the District of Columbia, with only 10 cases reported among international travelers. Six percent of cases have resulted in hospitalizations. No measles (搜索)-related deaths have been reported so far this year, unlike 2025, when three unvaccinated individuals — two children and one adult — died.
Vaccination Gaps Driving Transmission
The overwhelming majority of cases are occurring in under-vaccinated populations. According to CDC data, approximately 92% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Four percent of cases are among those who received just one dose of the measles (搜索), mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, and another 4% are among those who received the recommended two doses.
The majority of measles (搜索) cases in 2026 have been confirmed among children and teenagers aged 19 and younger.
Childhood vaccination rates have continued to slip since the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2024–25 school year, MMR coverage among kindergarteners in the US was 92.5%, down from 92.7% the previous school year and well below the 95.2% seen in the 2019–20 school year. The 95% coverage rate is recognized as necessary to prevent major outbreaks.
"Now, this may sound like a small change, but it actually means that a large number of children in kindergarten, about 286,000 according to CDC, are not protected," said Ruth Lynfield, Minnesota state epidemiologist, during a recent briefing held by the Infectious Disease Society of America. "In addition, looking at overall national numbers does not reveal that there are communities that have extremely low rates of immunization among young children and that enables the virus to continue to circulate if it is introduced."
Elimination Status Under Review
The US technically met the criteria for losing its measles (搜索) elimination status earlier this year, having experienced more than a year of sustained domestic transmission. The US first eliminated measles in 2000. Canada lost its measles elimination status last year.
The US and Mexico were scheduled to meet with the Pan American Health Organization (搜索) (PAHO) in April to discuss their respective measles (搜索) elimination statuses, but the meeting was rescheduled for November 2026. If it is determined that the US has experienced 12 months of continuous measles transmission, measles would once again be considered endemic or constantly circulating.
January 2026 marked one year since measles (搜索) cases were first detected in Texas on January 20, 2025. It remains unclear whether those initial cases are linked to cases found in other states; if so, it would confirm a year of continuous transmission.
Expert Concerns
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, described the latest figures as "very disappointing and very concerning."
"It indicates that an increasing number of parents are either postponing or withholding their children from vaccination, and this is very concerning because it permits this virus back now into the United States to continue to spread and obviously to cause illness in the children affected," Schaffner told ABC News.
He further warned that the resurgence of measles (搜索) signals broader vulnerabilities. "Measles, because it's the most contagious virus, is like the canary in the coal mine; it's the alert that lets us know that we're also opening ourselves up to other transmissible diseases that vaccines could prevent," Schaffner said.
Schaffner emphasized the importance of direct engagement with vaccine-hesitant parents. "Have them speak to their own family doctors and pediatricians, have those conversations, and our pediatricians and family doctors have to provide a level of comfort and reassurance," he said. "Facts are fundamental, but more importantly, these parents need reassurance and a level of comfort that what their doctors are recommending is in the best interest of their child and the communities in which their children live."
The CDC currently recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine: the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles (搜索).
At the current rate of transmission, the country appears likely to far exceed the number of measles (搜索) cases recorded last year. Prior to 2025, measles cases had not surpassed 2,000 in the US since 1992.