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Health Care · Report · File No. 261112-183

CDC reports six measles deaths in 2026 as outbreak grows to worst in 35 years

The CDC's official count of measles deaths rose to six, double last year's total, after it changed how it counts them. The U.S. may soon lose its measles-free status.

By the Kitchen-Table Desk · · 2 min read

14 of 17 paragraphs and bullets link directly to a source. The sources are listed at the bottom. How we work

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. Photo: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public domain

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported six measles-related deaths in the United States this year, according to figures it posted Thursday. That is twice the number recorded in 2025 1. The country is in its largest measles outbreak since 1991 1.

The Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center tracker counts more than 5,400 cases nationwide. Active outbreaks have been reported in nearly every state 1. The CDC's own count stood at 5,182 cases as of Nov. 7, more than double the 2,289 cases in 2025 2.

Where the deaths happened

The CDC did not say which states accounted for its six deaths 1. Pennsylvania has been hit hardest. Officials there have confirmed six measles-associated deaths this year 1.

A child also died in New York on Election Day. An infant in Wisconsin died days later. New York recorded its first known measles death in more than three decades 1.

From Channel GOPWarnock presses RFK Jr. on cutting CDC disease officeSen. Reverend Raphael Warnock · 2.9K plays · captioned, with the source named

A change in how deaths are counted

The higher federal number follows a change in how the CDC tracks measles deaths. The agency now uses data from the National Center for Health Statistics, according to a note on its website dated Sept. 4 1. As recently as Nov. 7, the CDC was counting only four deaths 2.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously argued, without evidence, that two of the Pennsylvania deaths may not have been caused by measles. Reuters reported that he asked CDC Director Erica Schwartz not to count them 1. The day after that report, the CDC changed its data source 1.

Pennsylvania said two unvaccinated people died in August. The CDC first counted those deaths, then removed them after Kennedy questioned them 2. Pennsylvania counts a death as measles-associated if it happens within 30 days of the start of symptoms, unless an unrelated event caused it 2.

Vaccination and what comes next

Measles can be prevented with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses give about 97% protection 1. Kindergarten vaccination coverage fell from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4% in 2025-2026 2.

The U.S. could lose its measles elimination status this week, according to The Guardian 1. The country was officially declared free of measles in 2000. Losing the status would put it alongside Canada and several countries in Europe and Asia that eliminated the disease and then saw it return 1.

That matters because the numbers now depend partly on who is doing the counting. Experts have warned that the CDC's current approach departs from a long-standing tracking method used by the CDC and the World Health Organization 2. Readers who want to know their own protection should ask a doctor, since older adults may be unsure of their vaccination history. The sources do not say how many of this year's deaths were in older adults.

The Record

  1. The U.S. was officially declared free of measles 1.
  2. The CDC posted a note saying it now uses National Center for Health Statistics data to track measles deaths 1.
  3. The CDC counted 5,182 measles cases and four deaths in 2026 2.
  4. The CDC reported six measles deaths in 2026, twice the 2025 total 1.
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Sources

  1. The Guardian, “CDC reports six measles deaths in 2026 as US battles worst outbreak in 35 years” (2026-11-12). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/12/cdc-measles-deaths
  2. Al Jazeera, “CDC reports more than 5,000 measles cases, highest number in 35 years” (2026-11-07). aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/11/7/cdc-reports-more-than-5000-

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