US reports highest number of measles cases in 35 years

The United States has recorded more than 5,000 cases of measles this year, marking the highest number of infections in 35 years, according to an official count released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday. In 2026, the CDC has reported 5,182 confirmed cases of the highly contagious but easily preventable disease across the country, compared to 2,289 cases reported in all of 2025, making this the highest level since 1991.

State health authorities have reported at least eight measles-related deaths, including among very young children. Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases, described these deaths as tragic, emphasizing that they are completely preventable through vaccination. Measles was declared eradicated from the United States in 2000 due to vaccination, yet in recent years it has experienced a resurgence, driven by declining vaccination rates and growing public skepticism towards health authorities.

Former President Donald Trump's Health Secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr., has been accused of exacerbating this distrust due to his vaccine skepticism and dissemination of misinformation about the measles vaccine. Ratner pointed out that the burden of these preventable diseases will fall on children, who are not responsible for the decisions affecting their health.

Measles causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and a rash, and in severe cases, complications such as pneumonia and brain inflammation can lead to long-term health issues or death. Prior to the development of the vaccine in the early 1960s, measles killed hundreds of children annually in the U.S. However, it continues to claim tens of thousands of lives worldwide each year.