{
  "id": 9340341,
  "title": "Measles outbreaks surge to top 3,500 cases this year: These tracker maps show the areas hardest hit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/measles-outbreaks-surge-to-top-3-500-cases-this-year-these-tracker",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-23T12:41:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91611733/measles-outbreak-2026-map-shows-worst-areas-cases-top-3500"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States has reached a concerning milestone this year with measles cases surpassing 3,500—levels not seen in 35 years. As of September 18, 3,568 cases have been reported by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Nearly 10% of these cases, totaling 341, occurred within the previous two weeks leading up to September 18, marking a significant increase from the 2025 total. This surge is a stark contrast to the eradication of measles in America in 2000, with only a few dozen to a few hundred cases annually between that year and 2018. However, in 2019, cases spiked to over 1,200, and by 2025, they had risen to nearly 2,300. The rising trend can be attributed to two primary factors: increasing vaccine hesitancy and cuts in public health funding, both of which have intensified in the U.S. since 2025, when measles cases began skyrocketing. The CDC and Johns Hopkins provide maps tracking the spread of measles across the country. The CDC's map reveals that measles has been reported in all states except Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and New Hampshire. Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina lead in case numbers, with Pennsylvania reporting the highest at 745 cases.",
  "summary": "The United States has reached an ignominious milestone this week. According to data from the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, measles cases have now surpassed the 3,500 mark—a level not seen in 35 years. Here’s what you need to know about the multiple outbreaks affecting the country, and which areas are currently being hit the hardest.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Economic Times",
        "title": "Measles outbreak hits US; surge in cases seen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/measles-outbreak-hits-us-surge-in-cases-seen",
        "published": "2026-09-23T10:13:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}