Measles cases surge
- The U.S. logged roughly 1,600 measles cases in the first three months of 2026, health reports show. (salon.com) - That nearly matches the total number of cases for all of 2025, underscoring rapid early-year spread. (salon.com) - Public-health debate intensified as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his department still advises all children to get the measles vaccine. (nytimes.com)
The United States has recorded 1,748 measles cases by April 16, putting 2026 on pace to overtake last year’s large outbreak months early. (cdc.gov) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said those cases were reported across 33 jurisdictions, with 94% tied to outbreaks. The agency counted 19 outbreaks in 2026 as of April 16. (cdc.gov) For all of 2025, the country recorded 2,288 confirmed measles cases across 45 jurisdictions and 48 outbreaks. By April 17 last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had logged 800 cases, 85 hospitalizations and three deaths. (cdc.gov; cdc.gov) Measles spreads easily through the air, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine provide the best protection. The agency says measles is vaccine-preventable and updates its national case count weekly. (cdc.gov; cdc.gov) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children get the first measles, mumps and rubella dose at 12 to 15 months and the second at 4 to 6 years. It says two doses are 97% effective against measles, while one dose is 93% effective. (cdc.gov) The virus was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says outbreaks still follow imported cases when they reach communities with low vaccination coverage. In its 2025 measles update, the agency said large outbreaks with 50 or more cases have become more frequent. (cdc.gov) Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in congressional testimony on April 22 that his department advises all children to get the measles vaccine. The New York Times reported he framed that position as the department’s guidance rather than a personal endorsement. (nytimes.com) The federal case totals are provisional, which means they can rise or fall as states revise reports and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reconciles them. Even with that caveat, the April count shows measles spreading faster this year than at the same point in 2025. (cdc.gov; cdc.gov)
