US sees highest number of measles cases in 35 years - BBC
The US has reached a 35-year high in measles cases, with over 2,300 confirmed infections in the first seven months of 2026. Public health officials attribute the surge to declining immunization rates and vaccine hesitancy.
Why it matters
The resurgence of a preventable, highly contagious disease threatens public health and risks the US losing its measles-elimination status.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Madeline Halpert Getty Images The US has hit a 35-year high in measles cases, according to new figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The US has seen 2,318 confirmed cases of measles in 2026, just seven months into the year, up from last year's high of 2,289, when two unvaccinated children died of the disease.
The rising number of cases have come as vaccine hesitancy in the US has increased in recent years, leading to lower immunisation rates.
In November, a panel is set to decide whether the US will lose its status of having eliminated measles, which Canada lost last year.
A country loses elimination status after a year or more of continuous transmission of the same strain of the measles virus.
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