WASHINGTON (Azat TV) – U.S. measles infections have officially surpassed 5,000 for the first time in 35 years, reaching 5,182 confirmed cases across 45 states and Washington, D.C., according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, November 6, 2026. The total more than doubles the 2,289 infections recorded across all of 2025 and marks the highest annual count since 1991, when the nation reported 9,643 cases. Only Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Nevada have avoided reporting a confirmed infection this year.
The milestone surge places the nation’s measles-elimination status, maintained since 2000, in immediate jeopardy. Next week, the Pan American Health Organization is scheduled to review transmission data from the past year to determine whether the United States will retain the designation. Under international health guidelines, a country risks losing its elimination status if a single strain of the virus circulates continuously for 12 months.
Vaccination Rates and Demographic Breakdown
Federal health figures show that 96% of this year’s infections occurred in individuals who were either entirely unvaccinated or whose vaccination status remained unknown. At least 562 patients, representing roughly 11% of the total caseload, have required hospitalization.
The demographic distribution highlights widespread vulnerability across age groups: adults aged 20 and older account for 2,132 cases, closely followed by 2,104 infections among children and teenagers aged 5 to 19, and 908 cases among children under the age of 5. The CDC noted that the vast majority of infections are tied to active outbreaks, with 43 new community outbreaks identified nationwide this year.
Local health authorities have scrambled to contain the spread. In Pennsylvania, which has recorded more than 1,400 cases across 45 counties, health officials administered more than 100,000 doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in September and October alone, targeting undervaccinated Amish and Mennonite communities.
Federal Conflict Over Death Tolls and Public Health Policy
Disagreements have emerged between state health departments and federal leadership regarding the official fatality count. State health officials have reported at least eight measles-associated deaths this year, including six in Pennsylvania and one each in New York and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania reported its sixth death on Wednesday involving an unvaccinated Jefferson County resident. New York confirmed the death of a child in Lewis County on Monday—its first measles fatality in over three decades—followed later in the week by an infant death in Wisconsin.
However, the CDC has officially recognized only four deaths nationwide and has declined to specify their geographic locations, marking a departure from past reporting practices. The federal agency is currently collaborating with an outside group of epidemiologists to establish standardized criteria for defining a measles fatality.
The public health crisis has unfolded alongside policy battles involving Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose vaccine skepticism and public statements have drawn sharp criticism from infectious disease specialists. Pediatrician Adam Ratner told MENAFN that the deaths are completely preventable and criticized federal leadership for undermining public confidence in immunization efforts.