United States, measles cases surpass 5,100 since the start of 2026

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recorded, in an update as of November 5, 2026, 5,182 confirmed measles cases in the United States since the beginning of the year. Cases have been reported from 47 jurisdictions, with an additional 18 cases involving international visitors present in the country, according to data published by the federal agency itself.

The CDC counts 43 active outbreaks during 2026: 4,993 cases, equal to 96% of the national total, are linked to these outbreaks, rather than to isolated cases. This concentration indicates that the spread of the virus in the United States is occurring primarily through localized chains of transmission, rather than through sporadic, unconnected cases.

The comparison with the previous year shows the scale of the phenomenon: in 2025 the United States recorded, over the entire year, 2,289 confirmed cases. The 2026 figure, already more than double that of twelve months ago and with nearly two months still to be counted, marks the highest level recorded by the CDC in recent years.

On the death toll front, the CDC reports 4 measles deaths in 2026. The specialized portal CIDRAP News, citing data from state health departments, also reports the death of a child linked to measles in New York on November 3 and that of an infant in Wisconsin on November 6 — episodes reported without further identifying details.

These are epidemiological surveillance data updated weekly by the U.S. federal agency, not a clinical study: the figures describe cases reported and confirmed by local health systems, not estimates of the overall population. The primary source remains the CDC’s public database, supplemented by state data drawn from CIDRAP News for the two most recent deaths.