US reports highest number of measles cases in 35 years

The United States has recorded 5,182 confirmed measles cases in 2026, the highest total since 1991, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The country reported 2,289 cases during all of 2025, while state health officials have reported at least eight measles-related deaths, including among very young children. Declared eradicated in the United States in 2000 through vaccination, measles has returned amid declining vaccination rates and growing distrust of health authorities. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., known for his vaccine skepticism, is accused of fueling that distrust and downplaying the disease’s dangers.