As measles outbreaks grow in the U.S., maps and charts show a record number of cases - CBS News

The U.S. has recorded its highest number of measles cases in more than three decades in 2026, with outbreaks spreading across multiple states, according to CDC data.
By mid-July 2026, cases had already surpassed the total for all of 2025, which had itself been the worst recent year with over 2,200 confirmed cases.
The ongoing outbreaks threaten the country's official measles elimination status, held since 2000; measles is highly contagious and can cause severe lung and brain infections leading to cognitive issues, deafness or death.
In 2025, out of 2,289 confirmed cases, more than 750 were tied to a West Texas outbreak that killed two children; before that, the recent high was 1,274 cases in 2019.
Experts attribute the rise to falling vaccination rates, noting that about 92.5% of U.S. kindergartners were vaccinated during the 2024–2025 school year, down from 95.2% in 2019–2020, with only 10 states reaching the 95% herd-immunity threshold.
NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya urged parents to vaccinate their children with standard childhood vaccines, and research has found no evidence linking vaccination to increased autism rates.