U.S. measles cases pass 2,000 as outbreaks continue in several states
The CDC reported 2,030 measles cases this year, with most patients unvaccinated and new clusters active in Virginia and Pennsylvania.
By Priya Raghavan · Science Reporter
3 min read
Measles cases in the United States have climbed past 2,000 this year, putting 2026 close to last year’s total, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The count underscores the continued spread of a virus the U.S. declared eliminated from regular circulation in 2000.
The CDC reported 2,030 measles cases as of Friday, compared with 2,288 cases recorded during all of 2025. NBC News reported that 2025 had the highest annual measles tally in the country since 1991.
The CDC said the country has recorded 30 new outbreaks this year, down from 48 last year. Children and teenagers account for most cases, the agency said, and more than 92% of patients were unvaccinated. The CDC said 127 of the 2,030 patients, or 6%, have been hospitalized.
Florida’s health department has confirmed 154 cases since Jan. 1, according to NBC News. Most were in Collier County, where an outbreak was linked to Ave Maria University near Naples. The state’s tracker showed no new Florida cases for more than a week, while NBC News reported that the state health department has not held formal briefings and has said little publicly about the outbreak.
Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services reported nine new cases over the past three weeks, after earlier reporting about 10 cases a week. The state still has a large outbreak, with 675 cases counted since last summer, according to the department.
In South Carolina, a major outbreak that NBC News described as the worst in the U.S. in more than 30 years ended in late April. After that, the virus started spreading in rural parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, according to NBC News.
Pennsylvania’s health department had confirmed 60 cases as of Friday, mostly in Lancaster and Lebanon counties. Virginia has the largest current cluster, with 91 cases concentrated mostly in the central part of the state, according to NBC News.
After measles appeared in Virginia in late April, the Piedmont Health District worked with Lynchburg-based Centra Health on a dispatch number for people to request paramedic visits at home, according to NBC News. The approach is intended to reduce exposure in clinics and emergency rooms while allowing health workers to test households and treat symptoms such as high fevers and dehydration.
Dr. Chris Thomson, Centra Health’s executive vice president, told NBC News that reaching patients early may help keep some out of the hospital, including by treating dehydration at home. He said home visits also allow workers to see whether other people in a household are sick.
Dr. Maria Almond, director of the Piedmont Health District, told NBC News that vaccination is offered but is not the central focus of the effort. She said the mostly unvaccinated community has been more open to guidance on isolation and quarantine, and she said the outbreak could continue for several more months.
NBC News reported that it is not yet clear whether the outbreaks will affect the country’s measles elimination status. The Pan American Health Organization is expected to make a decision in November.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.