(CNN) — Recent outbreaks of measles in the United States are driving up case counts and raising alarm among public health experts, especially as vaccination rates among children lag.
US cases surged to a record high in 2025, and three people died — the first reported measles deaths in the United States since 2015. Measles continues to spread rapidly in 2026, with more cases reported in the first month than is typical for a full year.
CNN is monitoring these cases and updating this page each week as new national data is released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A large outbreak in West Texas accounted for at least a third of all national cases in 2025, with multiple states reporting cases with links back to Texas. State officials declared that outbreak over in mid-August, but other outbreaks continue to grow. In South Carolina, an outbreak that started in the upstate region in October 2025, is now the largest US measles outbreak in decades.
National data compiled by the CDC lags behind reports collected by state health agencies. Here’s the latest national snapshot of which states have reported cases in 2026 so far.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease. It can cause serious health consequences or death, especially for young and unvaccinated children. Most of the cases involve people younger than age 20.
General symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a rash of red spots. About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the United States who get measles will be hospitalized, according to the CDC.
About 1 in every 20 children will develop pneumonia, and others may develop a dangerous swelling in the brain called encephalitis. Up to 3 of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles may die from respiratory and neurologic complications.
Measles is preventable, thanks to a highly effective vaccine. Experts recommend that children get the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine in two doses: the first between 12 months and 15 months of age, and a second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is about 93% effective at preventing measles infection; two doses are about 97% effective.
The vast majority of measles cases in the US are among unvaccinated people.
Measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000. Imported cases are expected, but when vaccination rates are high, the risk for spread remains low and outbreaks are rare. Outbreaks in 2019, particularly two in underimmunized Orthodox Jewish communities in New York, threatened US measles elimination status.
Ongoing outbreaks in multiple parts of the United States threaten the country’s measles elimination status again, and the Pan American Health Organization could decide to revoke that status when it meets in April.
“If a measles outbreak continues for a year or more, the United States could lose its measles elimination status,” according to the CDC.
Because measles is so contagious, a high level of vaccination coverage is key to minimizing spread. The United States has set a target vaccination rate of 95%, but coverage among kindergarteners has dipped below that in recent years.
MMR vaccine series completion among kindergarteners decreased from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% in the 2024-2025 school year, leaving about 286,000 at risk, according to the CDC.
Coverage varies widely by state.
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