In a little over five months, the United States has topped 2,000 measles cases, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today confirming 57 new measles cases and 2,030 total cases since the start of the year.
Last year the country didn’t cross the 2,000-case mark till around Christmas, and it marked the first time since 1992 that infections reached that mark in a single year. The total for all of last year was 2,288 confirmed cases.
The milestone comes as a new report details how easily the disease can spread in places like daycare centers.
All but 10 of the 2026 US infections are locally acquired, with the rest related to travel outside the country.
The agency reported no new measles outbreaks, so that total stands at 30. The nation saw 48 outbreaks for the entire year in 2025.
Of this year’s cases, 21% involve children younger than 5 years, and 72% involve kids and young adults up to 19 years. Among all 2026 patients, 92% have been unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. Six percent of patients this year have been hospitalized, compared with 11% last year.
No measles deaths have been reported this year, compared with three last year.
Cases in Utah appear to be slowing
According to the CDC measles map, South Carolina has recorded the most cases so far this year, at 669, but its outbreak is now over. Utah is next, with 486 cases—although the Utah health department lists 478, just two more than last week. The state has seen only nine new cases in the past three weeks, indicating that its outbreak might be slowing.
Texas has 182 cases, and Florida 141, two of them new, according to the CDC map. The Florida Department of Health, however, lists 154 measles cases through May 30.
South Carolina, meanwhile, reported a case two days ago involving an adult in Hampton County. “The person is unvaccinated and did not have immunity from a previous measles infection,” the South Carolina Department of Public Health said in a news release. “The source of exposure is unknown, but the person recently traveled internationally.”
The source of exposure is unknown, but the person recently traveled internationally.
Elsewhere, Erie County, New York, yesterday confirmed its first measles case since 2018, county officials said in a press release. The infected person also tested positive after traveling internationally.
Rapid response to 8-case childcare outbreak
The facile transmission of the disease is highlighted in a study yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, with the authors detailing an eight-case outbreak and the public health response at a childcare facility in Lubbock, Texas, in March and April last year. West Texas was a measles hot spot at that time.
The report, written by CDC and Lubbock Public Health (LPH) scientists, notes that the index case occurred in an unvaccinated 3-year-old child. LPH received notification of the child’s infection on March 21, 2025. The child first had a fever on March 15 and a rash on March 20, so the infectious period was determined to be March 16 through March 24.
The child attended a facility with 458 employees and 287 enrolled children ranging in age from infants to prekindergarten. The index patient attended the facility while infectious through March 17. The lab result was available on March 24, and the childcare facility was notified the next day.
The response to a measles outbreak in this child care facility highlights the importance of vaccination and rapid response.
Two additional cases were detected from March 25 to March 29, both involving children at the childcare center. Four additional suspected cases were identified from April 1 to April 15 in children at the facility. The 41-year-old grandfather of one of those patients was also confirmed to have measles.
Three of the eight cases were in babies younger than 1 year old. The public health response included notifying caregivers; reviewing measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination status and offering post-exposure immunization to prevent further disease; separating young infants from other children; excluding unvaccinated children from the childcare center; recommending complete MMR vaccination for all children; and increasing community awareness.
The authors wrote, “The response to a measles outbreak in this child care facility highlights the importance of vaccination and rapid response in accordance with public health guidance.
“During this outbreak, the child care facility followed guidance from state and local health departments regarding MMR vaccination and child care attendance.”
They concluded, “Effective communication was vital during this response.”
