Measles has made a major comeback in the U.S. and the pace of infections does not seem to be slowing any time soon. Already, the country is on track to surpass last year’s number of measles infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated data indicating that the U.S. total has reached more than 1,600 measles infections as of April 3, 2026. Last year, the CDC confirmed 2,286 measles cases for all of 2025, the highest number of cases since 1991, but we’re already on track to beat that record. What’s more, the Trump administration has pushed a key review of the country’s measles-free status until after the midterm elections.
According to the CDC report, 17 new outbreaks were reported in 2026. Notably, 94 percent of confirmed cases are “outbreak-associated,” with a majority of cases stemming from outbreaks that started in 2025. An estimated 5 percent of cases have required hospital care already this year; in 2025, 11 percent required hospital care. No deaths have yet been attributed to measles in 2026, but the disease killed three people in 2025. Ninety-two percent of cases this year are in unvaccinated people.
