US sees highest number of measles cases in 35 years

The US has hit a 35-year high in measles cases, according to new figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The US has seen 2,318 confirmed cases of measles in 2026, just seven months into the year, up from last year’s high of 2,289, when two unvaccinated children died of the disease.

The rising number of cases have come as vaccine hesitancy in the US has increased in recent years, leading to lower immunisation rates.

In November, a panel is set to decide whether the US will lose its status of having eliminated measles, which Canada lost last year.

A country loses elimination status after a year or more of continuous transmission of the same strain of the measles virus.

The US has recorded more measles cases over the past 18 months than the total number over 25 years before that.

The measles virus – with its signature blotchy red rash – used to infect millions of children a year before a vaccine was invented. The extremely contagious virus can be fatal, and some patients can experience long-term complications including encephalitis and immune amnesia, which resets the immune system, leaving it with only limited ability to respond to new infections.

Last year, an outbreak among the Mennonite community in Texas killed two unvaccinated children, and an unvaccinated adult in neighbouring New Mexico.

Over the past month, Virginia and Pennsylvania have been dealing with new measles outbreaks, while the state of Utah is still responding to a cluster of infections that began last year.

Some 45 states have recorded cases.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has been criticised by public health experts who argue his remarks and remaking of US vaccine policy has hindered efforts to stop the outbreaks.

A vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has shared mixed messaging on the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which has been proven safe and effective.

The US recommends two shots to children between ages one and six, which is 97% effective in protecting against the illness.

He has stated that the MMR vaccine is the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles” but has also promoted unproven treatments.

Earlier this year, he told lawmakers that a several countries have recently lost their measles elimination status, and defended the response by US officials.

“The whole world had their worst measles year,” he said.

Earlier this year, a federal judge blocked the US government from implementing a series of sweeping changes to childhood immunisations under Kennedy’s leadership, including slashing the number of recommended shots for children from 17 to 11.

To achieve herd immunity, which limits the spread of measles and protects the unvaccinated, around 95% of the population must have the shots. But vaccination rates have dipped far below that in some areas.

Last year, during an outbreak among the Russian and Ukrainian immigrant community in Spartanburg, South Carolina, some schools in the community had vaccination rates as low as 20%.