US Measles Cases Reach 5,182 as Outbreaks Rise to 43, CDC Reports
The CDC count as of November 5 is up 330 cases from the previous update and is already more than double the total for all of 2025. Four people have died this year, and 562 have been hospitalized.
Key points
- US measles cases have reached 5,182 this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday, November 6, in its weekly update.
- State and local health departments in 47 jurisdictions reported 5,164 of the cases.
- The agency has counted 43 measles outbreaks in 2026, and 4,993 cases, or 96 percent of the total, are linked to an outbreak.
US measles cases have reached 5,182 this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday, November 6, in its weekly update. The count covers confirmed cases reported to the agency as of November 5, 2026, and it is up 330 cases from the previous update.
State and local health departments in 47 jurisdictions reported 5,164 of the cases. The other 18 cases were among international visitors to the United States, the CDC said.
Most cases are tied to outbreaks
The agency has counted 43 measles outbreaks in 2026, and 4,993 cases, or 96 percent of the total, are linked to an outbreak. An outbreak is three or more related cases. Of the outbreak cases, 3,608 come from outbreaks that started in 2026 and 1,385 come from outbreaks that started in 2025.
Hospitalizations linked to measles stood at 562, or 11 percent of all cases, Reuters reported from the CDC data. Four measles-associated deaths have been reported so far in 2026, compared with three deaths during all of 2025.
Adults aged 20 and older account for 2,132 cases. People aged 5 to 19 account for 2,104 cases, and children under 5 account for 908 cases. The CDC data show that 96 percent of the people infected this year were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
More than double the 2025 total
For the full year of 2025, the CDC reported 2,289 confirmed measles cases and 48 outbreaks. The 2026 count has passed that total by a wide margin with nearly two months left in the year, and the death count for 2026 has already passed the 2025 figure.
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. The CDC says vaccination coverage for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine among kindergartners has fallen from 95.2 percent in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4 percent in the 2025-2026 school year, leaving about 280,000 kindergartners at risk. Two doses of the vaccine are 97 percent effective at preventing measles, and one dose is 93 percent effective, according to the agency.
The CDC notes that its page counts only confirmed cases that jurisdictions have notified to the agency as of noon on Thursdays, and that state health departments hold the most current local information. Its case counts for 2025 and 2026 are preliminary and subject to change.
Timeline
- 2000Measles is declared eliminated in the United States, the CDC says.
- 2025The CDC reports 2,289 confirmed measles cases, 48 outbreaks and three measles deaths for the full year.
- Oct 30, 2026The CDC weekly update reports 4,852 confirmed measles cases in the United States.
- Nov 5, 2026Confirmed cases reach 5,182 as of this date, with 43 outbreaks, 562 hospitalizations and four deaths reported for 2026.
- Nov 6, 2026The CDC publishes the update and Reuters reports the count is up 330 cases from the previous update.