Follow-up: CDC Confirms Six Measles Deaths in 2026, Double the 2025 Total

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measles cases and outbreaks data page now shows six confirmed measles-related deaths in the United States in 2026, up from the four previously reported and double the three deaths recorded in all of 2025. Reuters reported on November 12 that the CDC confirmed the figure on its website on Thursday but did not disclose the states where the additional deaths occurred.

The CDC notes on the page that the death count is subject to change as reviews are completed. The federal tally relies on verified mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and the CDC is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) to develop a standardized case definition for deaths due to measles, to promote consistent classification and reporting across jurisdictions. State health departments have collectively reported a higher toll than the federal count: six deaths in Pennsylvania and one each in New York and Wisconsin.

For cases, the page still shows 5,182 confirmed measles cases reported as of November 5, of which 5,164 were reported by 47 jurisdictions and 18 were among international visitors to the United States. There have been 43 new outbreaks reported in 2026, and 96 percent of confirmed cases are outbreak-associated. The 2,289 cases reported in all of 2025 have already been more than doubled, and this year's total is the highest since 1991.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. CDC data show MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination coverage among kindergartners has fallen from 95.2 percent in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4 percent in 2025-2026, leaving approximately 280,000 kindergartners at risk during the 2025-2026 school year. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles.

A committee of the Pan American Health Organization is meeting in Washington this week to review the United States' measles elimination status, with a decision expected early next week. The upward revision of the death toll comes while that review is under way. (Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Related: U.S. measles elimination status under review as PAHO committee meets in Washington

Related: Follow-up: U.S. Measles Cases Rise to 5,182, Up 330 in a Week, With Four Deaths Reported

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：美国疾控中心总部（亚特兰大，资料图）。James Gathany／美国疾控中心摄，公共领域。 / Photo: CDC headquarters in Atlanta (file photo). By James Gathany / CDC, public domain.

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