Measles outbreak update

The United States has reported 1,714 confirmed measles cases so far in 2026, and babies younger than 12 months are among the people with the least protection. (cdc.gov) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on April 9 that 94% of 2026 cases were tied to outbreaks, including 1,232 cases linked to outbreaks that began in 2025. The agency reported 17 new outbreaks in 2026 after 48 outbreaks and 2,287 confirmed cases in all of 2025. (cdc.gov) Measles spreads so easily that 9 out of 10 unprotected people around an infected person can catch it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with measles can spread the virus from four days before the rash appears through four days after it starts. (cdc.gov) The routine measles, mumps and rubella schedule starts at 12 through 15 months, so infants younger than that age are not yet covered by the standard first dose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says infants younger than 6 months should not get the vaccine. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2) Health departments can move faster in higher-risk situations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says infants ages 6 through 11 months should get an early measles, mumps and rubella dose before international travel, and Texas has told providers in outbreak areas to consider that early dose for infants in the same age range. (cdc.gov) (dshs.texas.gov) For babies who do get sick, the complications can be severe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says as many as 1 in 20 children with measles develops pneumonia, about 1 in 1,000 develops brain swelling, and 1 to 3 in 1,000 die. (cdc.gov) Infants and children younger than 5 years are one of the groups at highest risk for complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency says about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the United States who get measles is hospitalized. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2) The current surge is landing after the United States eliminated continuous measles spread in 2000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says imported infections can still ignite outbreaks when the virus reaches communities with lower vaccination coverage. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2) Texas has been one of the states at the center of the recent spread. The Texas Department of State Health Services says 2025 brought the state’s largest confirmed measles total since 1992, and the agency reported two deaths in unvaccinated school-aged children in the outbreak area. (dshs.texas.gov) (dshs.texas.gov) The immediate public health playbook has not changed: isolate suspected cases, trace exposures, and vaccinate everyone eligible. For families with infants too young for the first routine shot, the gap between exposure and eligibility is still the hardest part of this outbreak. (cdc.gov) (cdc.gov)