The United States has officially surpassed its 2025 record for measles infections, registering 2,318 cases so far this year. This figure, released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday, already exceeds the 2,289 cases reported throughout all of last year, with five months of 2026 still remaining. The milestone makes 2026 the worst year for measles in the US since 1991, signalling a significant public health challenge.
Large outbreaks have been reported in states such as South Carolina, Utah, and Arizona, infecting hundreds, while smaller clusters have emerged in numerous other regions. This escalating situation has led to increasing concerns among public health officials that measles could once again become a regularly circulating disease within the US, potentially sickening thousands annually.
The US achieved elimination of local measles transmission in 2000, a success attributed to consistently high vaccination rates. However, in recent years, vaccination coverage has declined, falling below the critical 95% level deemed necessary to prevent widespread outbreaks. This drop in immunisation rates is widely considered a primary factor in the current resurgence of the highly contagious disease.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has sharply criticised the US administration's approach to vaccines, describing the new record as an "avoidable crisis that disproportionally hurts children." They highlighted the human cost, mentioning hospitalised infants, students missing school, and parents taking time off work to care for sick children. The organisation stressed that this trend should not be accepted as a 'new normal' and called for a reversal to prevent further suffering.
The growing measles outbreak coincides with the US grappling with multiple other public health threats, including hantavirus, screwworm, Ebola, cyclosporiasis, whooping cough, and bird flu. This confluence of challenges has intensified concerns regarding the nation's capacity to prevent, detect, and contain infectious disease outbreaks, particularly in light of reported cuts to staffing and funding for several preventive and response programmes.