According to the CDC, through 27 February 2026, the US measles outbreak has reached 1,136 cases since the beginning of the year, 92% of whom had not received the MMR vaccine. In 2025, the US had 2,281 cases; after only two months of 2026, the US had nearly half as many cases as in all of 2025.

And in case you were wondering, 2025 was among the worst levels since measles was considered eliminated in the USA in 2000. The MMR vaccine was solely responsible for the elimination of measles.

Measles is not an inconsequential disease — it can cause long-term health issues and death. It is not simply a rash that goes away after a few days, despite what many people want you to believe.

This post will examine the key details of the 2026 US measles outbreak, while also reminding readers what measles is and what it can do to children.

Measles facts

Measles (rubeola, not to be confused with rubella or German measles) is a respiratory disease caused by the Measles morbillivirus. This virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and lungs. 

The virus is spread through respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person’s nose and mouth, through direct or aerosol transmission). It is highly contagious — 90% of people without immunity sharing living space with an infected person will catch it.

Infected individuals can spread measles for up to 4 days before and 4 days after a rash appears.

In 2024, the CDC reported that the USA had the most measles infections since 2019, with a total of 285 cases. As of 20 February 2025, there have been 93 cases in 2025, with reports of measles cases in Texas, New Mexico, Alaska, Georgia, New York, and Rhode Island.

There are no specific treatments for measles.

The MMR vaccine (for measles, mumps, and rubella) is the only thing that can prevent measles. The CDC recommends that the first dose be given at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 to 6 years of age. Teens and adults should also be up to date on their MMR vaccination. Immunity from the vaccine usually lasts a lifetime.

The MMR vaccine is an attenuated (weakened) live virus vaccine. This means that after injection, the vaccine causes a harmless infection in the vaccinated person with very few symptoms before the virus is destroyed. Long-term immunity against measles then develops. According to the CDC, one dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective.

The MMR vaccine is very safe, and it is not linked to autism.

If you think measles is harmless, it actually has serious complications. According to the CDC, some of the many measles complications are:

• About 1-2 children out of 1000 who contract measles can develop subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a rare chronic, progressive encephalitis that affects children and young adults. SSPE is caused by a persistent measles infection. The disease starts with measles infection, usually before the age of two years, followed by approximately 6-15 asymptomatic years. Some researchers suggest that the asymptomatic period is around 5-8 years after the initial disease. The disease gradually progresses with psychological and neurological deterioration, including personality changes, seizures, and coma. It is always ultimately fatal.
• About 1 child in every 1,000 who gets measles will develop encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can lead to convulsions, deafness, and other long-term neurological deficits.
• And sadly, for every 1,000 children who get measles, 1 or 2 will die.
• About 30% of measles cases develop one or more complications.
• Pneumonia is the complication that is most often the cause of death in young children.
• Ear infections occur in about 1 in 10 cases, and permanent hearing loss can result.
• Diarrhea is reported in about 8% of cases.
• As many as 1 out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia.
• A measles infection can result in short- and long-term immune system dysfunction, sometimes called immune amnesia, which can leave the child susceptible to other diseases early in life (which is in direct opposition to claims by anti-vaccine activists that it helps “boost” the immune system). Even if a child developed immunity to some disease before the measles infection, their immune system will “forget” that immunity after measles, and the child will be susceptible to that infection again.

This should help the reader understand that measles is not some benign, innocuous disease that can be ignored. Even though most children will be unscathed by measles, a significant number will develop short- and long-term complications, including death.

And no, there is no miracle treatment or prevention for measles. Vitamin A will not treat measles. Your miracle gluten-free, organic, blueberry-kale smoothie will not prevent measles. A healthy, unvaccinated child who contracts measles may die from it or may have long-term neurological damage. The only choice is the MMR vaccine to prevent measles in the first place.

The 2026 US measles outbreak

As I stated above, the CDC reports that, as of February 26, 2026, 1,136 confirmed measles cases have been reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,130 measles cases were reported by 28 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. A total of 6 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

South Carolina has been particularly hard hit. To date, South Carolina alone has nearly 1,000 cases in its ongoing outbreak that began last October, which has largely occurred in Spartanburg County.

Of the 1,136 total US cases:

• 278 were in children under five years of age.
• 653 were in children 5-19 years.
• 198 were in adults 20 and older.
• 7 had unknown ages.

Again, 92% of these cases were in unvaccinated (or vaccination status unknown) individuals, and 58 required hospitalization.

Public health experts recommend that the measles vaccination level stay about 95% to maintain herd immunity, that is, more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, most people are protected through community immunity (herd immunity). This limits the spread of the disease, especially to those who are not vaccinated.

Unfortunately, in many states, especially in the ones that have been particularly hard hit with measles cases, the vaccinate rate has fallen below 95%, and in some states, below 90%.

Summary

As I keep lamenting, I cannot believe I have to write about a measles outbreak in 2026 when, just 25 years ago, we thought that measles was essentially eradicated in the USA (and other countries). And with the persistent attacks on vaccines, I’m afraid that we will see more and larger measles outbreaks in the upcoming few years.

If you’re reading this, you probably have made sure your children have been fully vaccinated. If you haven’t had them vaccinated, get it done to save yourself and your child a lot of pain and heartache.

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