US measles cases climb past 4,400 as yearly total nears double 2025's

The number of confirmed measles cases in the United States this year has reached 4,410, according to figures the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted on Friday.

The CDC tally, current as of Thursday, Oct. 15, is up 330 from the 4,080 cases the agency reported a week earlier, based on that earlier count as reported by Reuters and CBS News.

Where the numbers stand

According to the CDC page:

• 4,410 confirmed cases in 2026, reported by 47 jurisdictions
• 42 new outbreaks so far this year
• About 96% of cases linked to outbreaks
• 2 confirmed measles deaths, a figure the agency says may change
• 2,289 cases in all of 2025, the previous high in three decades

State responses

Pennsylvania has passed 1,000 cases this year and has reported five measles-associated deaths, CBS News reported. Reuters noted that the CDC recently changed the data source it uses to count measles deaths, a shift that has drawn scrutiny.

In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state emergency earlier this month. According to CBS News, the order expands which health workers may give measles shots and lets nurses order tests.

Vaccination status

About 95% of patients nationwide were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, CBS News reported, citing federal data. Reuters reported that roughly 10% of this year's cases had required hospitalization as of early October.

Measles symptoms typically begin one to two weeks after exposure with a high fever, cough and runny nose, followed later by a rash, according to CBS News.